Falcons |
Hybrid white gyrfalcon and saker falcon.
|
Scientific classification |
Kingdom: |
Animalia
|
Phylum: |
Chordata
|
Class: |
Aves
|
Order: |
Falconiformes
|
Family: |
Falconidae
|
Genus: |
Falco
Linnaeus, 1758 |
|
Species |
About 37; see text. |
A Falcon is any of several species of
raptors in the genus Falco. The word came from
Latin falco, from
Latin falx = "sickle"
because of the shape of its wings.
Overview
Falcons have thin pointed wings, which give them speed
and the ability to change direction rapidly.
Peregrine Falcons, the fastest
birds on Earth, are said to have reached
stoop speeds of up to 200 mph.
Young falcons in their first year have longer flight
feathers than adults. This makes their configuration more
like a general-purpose bird such as a
broadwing while they are learning how to fly.
Other falcons include the Gyrfalcon, Lanner Falcon, and
the Merlin. Some small insectivorous falcons with long,
narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which sometimes
hover as they hunt for small rodents are called kestrels.
The traditional term for a male falcon is a "tiercel",
from Latin tertius, because it is roughly a third
smaller than the female.
An eyass is a raptor chick still in its downy stage: the
word arose by misdivision of Old French un niais,
from
Latin presumed *nidiscus, from Latin nidus
= "nest".
Or it is sometime sused for a falcon which had been taken
from its nest before it flew.
The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of
prey is known as
falconry.
The falcons are part of the family
Falconidae, which also includes the
caracaras, Laughing Falcon, forest falcons, and falconets.
In February
2005 the Canadian scientist Dr Louis Lefebvre announced a
method of measuring avian IQ
in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. Falcons were
named among the most intelligent birds based on this scale.
Falcon fossils have been found dated 50 million years ago
in the Eocene in the Messel Pit in Germany.
Species in taxonomic order
Common Kestrel
Peregrine Falcon
New Zealand Falcon
- Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni
Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
Madagascar Kestrel, Falco newtoni
Mauritius Kestrel, Falco punctatus
Seychelles Kestrel, Falco araea
Spotted Kestrel, Falco moluccensis
Nankeen Kestrel, Falco cenchroides
American Kestrel, Falco sparverius
Greater Kestrel, Falco rupicoloides
Fox Kestrel, Falco alopex
Grey Kestrel, Falco ardosiaceus
Dickinson's Kestrel, Falco dickinsoni
Banded Kestrel, Falco zoniventris
Red-necked Falcon, Falco chicquera
Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus
Amur Falcon, Falco amurensis
Eleonora's Falcon, Falco eleonorae
Sooty Falcon, Falco concolor
Aplomado Falcon, Falco femoralis
Merlin Falcon, Falco columbarius
Bat Falcon, Falco rufigularis
Orange-breasted Falcon, Falco deiroleucus
Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo
African Hobby, Falco cuvierii
Oriental Hobby, Falco severus
Australian Hobby, Falco longipennis
New Zealand Falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae
Brown Falcon, Falco berigora
Grey Falcon, Falco hypoleucos
Lanner Falcon, Falco biarmicus
Laggar Falcon, Falco jugger
Saker Falcon, Falco cherrug
Black Falcon, Falco subniger
Gyr Falcon, Falco rusticolus
Prairie Falcon, Falco mexicanus
Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus
Barbary Falcon, Falco (peregrinus) pelegrinoides
Taita Falcon, Falco fasciinucha
External links