Falcon

Falcon
Prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus)
Scientific classification
Kingdom Information
Domain	Eukaryota
Kingdom	Animalia
Subkingdom	Bilateria
Branch	Deuterostomia
Phylum Information
Phylum	Chordata
Sub-phylum	Vertebrata
Infraphylum	Gnathostomata
Class Information
Superclass	Tetrapoda
Class	Aves
Sub-class	Neornithes
Infra-class	Neoaves
Order Information
Superorder	Passerimorphae
Order	Ciconiiformes
Sub-order	Ciconii
Infraorder	Falconides
Family Information
Family	Falconidae
Sub-family	Falconinae
Genus Information
Genus	Falco
Population statistics

Falcon is the general name for any of 65 species of bird in the family Falconidae, but especially restricted to the 38 species of the genus Falco. Known as birds of prey, falcons are characterized by a bullet-shaped body, pointed wings, and the ability to fly and maneuver at great speed while hunting; one species - the Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) - has been clocked in excess of 200 miles-per-hour while in a dive.^[1]

Falcons have also been used by man for hunting purposes (see Falconry), as well as being a barometer for man's abuse of the environment via habitat destruction and chemical spraying.

Description[edit]

Falcons vary in color among species, but are generally dark above a lighter-colored chest and belly. Their tails are long, an aid in maneuvering quickly while hunting. Falcons are powerful fliers; unlike other birds of prey or their close relatives, caracaras, they seldom soar.

Falcons are generally solitary or live in pairs. Nests are in cliffs, trees, or on building ledges, and often the nests of other birds which falcons have taken over. Females lay two to six eggs, and both parents incubate, and later care for the young.

Species[edit]

• African hobby, Falco cuvierii
• American kestrel, Falco sparverius
• American merlin, Falco columbarius
• Amur falcon, Falco amurensis
• Aplomado falcon, Falco femoralis
• Australian hobby, Falco longipennis
• Australian kestrel, Falco cenchroides
• Banded kestrel, Falco zoniventris
• Bat falcon, Falco rufigularis
• Black falcon, Falco subniger
• Brown falcon, Falco berigora
• Common kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
• Dickinson's kestrel, Falco dickinsoni
• Eleonora's falcon, Falco eleonorae
• Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo
• Fox kestrel, Falco alopex
• Gray falcon, Falco hypoleucos
• Gray kestrel, Falco ardosiaceus
• Greater kestrel, Falco rupicoloides
• Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus
• Laggar falcon, Falco jugger
• Lanner falcon, Falco biarmicus
• Lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni
• Madagascar kestrel, Falco newtoni
• Mauritius kestrel, Falco punctatus
• New Zealand falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae
• Orange-breasted falcon, Falco deiroleucus
• Oriental hobby, Falco severus
• Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus
• Prairie falcon, Falco mexicanus
• Red-footed falcon, Falco vespertinus
• Red-necked falcon, Falco chicquera
• Reunion kestrel, Falco duboisi (extinct, c.1700)
• Saker falcon, Falco cherrug
• Seychelles kestrel, Falco araea
• Sooty falcon, Falco concolor
• Spotted kestrel, Falco moluccensis
• Taita falcon, Falco fasciinucha

References[edit]