Falcons are powerful birds that use Hucknell beech, big legs, and twisting talons that they use to catch their prey. Let us take a glimpse of the many species of Falcons and their distribution.
You know what
The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest bird in the world, capable of diving at speeds of up to 180 miles per hour.
The Falcons are included in the Falconi family, including the Caracas, the Jumping Falcon, the Falconettes, the Pygmy Falcon and the Forest Falcon. Available worldwide, falcons fly fast and feed live birds and small terrestrial spines. They fly at higher altitudes and come down at an incredible speed (around 20 miles per hour) to catch a prey unwanted. They have very strong eyesight, which is 2.6 times more powerful than humans.
Adult Falcons have thin, tapered wings that enable them to quickly and effortlessly change direction during a flight. They are solitary birds and gather only for confluence. Some species are migrating.
Falcon species have been found all over the world
The Falconidae family, with which the Falcon is, is a large family consisting of birds of different species. However, in this Birdden article, we will focus on the members of the subfamily Falcone, who is known as the ‘true Falcon’. True falcons are further classified into three groups:
- Falcons
- Kestrels
- Hobbies
Falcon
The Falcon is the largest and strongest bird, belonging to the Falco species, and includes species of birds such as the Peregrine Falcon and the Girifalkon, the latter family being the largest members of the Falcon family.
Most members of this group are characterized by gray to brown plumage. Hierofalcones are a group of four species that are closely related, namely, the Gyfalcon, Lager Falcon, Lanar Falcon and Secar Falcon.
Conservation status
All species belonging to this group have a list of birds and their distribution and conservation status
Gyrfalcon
(Falco rusticolus)
Distribution: Islands of North America, Europe, Asia, and the Arctic region.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Peregrine falcon
Peregrine Falcon
(Falco peregrinus)
Distribution: Almost everywhere on the Earth, ranging from the Arctic Tundras to the tropics.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Red footed falcon
Red-footed Falcon
(Falco vespertinus)
Distribution: Eastern Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Brown falcon
Brown Falcon
(Falco berigora)
Distribution: Found in several parts of Australia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Saker falcon
Saker Falcon
(Falco cherrug)
Distribution: Eastern Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Prairie falcon
Prairie Falcon
(Falco mexicanus)
Distribution: Found in western North America.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Lanner falcon
Lanner Falcon
(Falco biarmicus)
Distribution: Africa, southeast Europe, and Asia
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Laggar falcon
Laggar Falcon
(Falco jugger)
Distribution: Found on the Indian subcontinent
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Sooty falcon
Sooty Falcon
(Falco concolor)
Distribution: Islands and coasts of northeast Africa
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Merlin falcon
Merlin Falcon
(Falco columbarius)
Distribution: Found in the Northern Hemisphere
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Eleonoras falcon
Eleonora’s Falcon
(Falco eleonorae)
Distribution: Mediterranean islands, especially without Greece. They are also found in the Canary Islands and Spain, Italy, Croatia, Morocco and Algeria.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Red-necked Falcon (Falco chicquera)
Distribution: Found in India and sub-Saharan Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis)
Distribution: Found in southeastern Siberia and northern China.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis)
Distribution: Found in North and South America.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis)
Distribution: Found in Central and South America, as well as in Mexico and Trinidad.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Orange-breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus)
Distribution: Found in southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ New Zealand Falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae)
Distribution: Found in New Zealand.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
★ Grey Falcon (Falco hypoleucos)
Distribution: Found in Australia.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
★ Black Falcon (Falco subniger)
Distribution: Found in Australia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Taita Falcon (Falco fasciinucha)
Distribution: Found in Southern Africa.
Conservation Status: Near Threatened
Kestrels
Kestrel is the smallest bird in the Falcon family and feeds on small terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates such as apes and reptiles. Here are the bird species classified under this group.
Common Kestrel
(Falco tinnunculus)
Distribution: North America, Europe, Asia, and Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
American kestrel
American Kestrel
(Falco sparverius)
Distribution: North and South America
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Nankeen kestrel
Nankeen Kestrel
(Falco cenchroides)
Distribution: Found only in Australia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Mauritius kestrel
Mauritius Kestrel
(Falco punctatus)
Distribution: Found only in Mauritius
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
Greater kestrel
Greater Kestrel
(Falco rupicoloides)
Distribution: Found southern and eastern Africa.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Lesser kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
(Falco naumanni)
Distribution: Mediterranean to southern central Asia.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
★ Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex)
Distribution: The savanna region south of the Sahara, Ethiopia, and north-west Kenya.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Dickinson’s Kestrel (Falco dickinsoni)
Distribution: Southern and eastern Africa
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Madagascar Kestrel (Falco newtoni)
Distribution: Madagascar
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Banded Kestrel (Falco zoniventris)
Distribution: Found in mainland Africa.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Seychelles Kestrel (Falco araea)
Distribution: Found only on the Seychelles Islands.
Conservation Status: Vulnerable
★ Spotted Kestrel (Falco moluccensis)
Distribution: Found in Australasia and Indomalaya.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
Hobbies
The hobbies are slightly larger than the kestrels but smaller than the falcons. This group has four species of birds.
Eurasian hobby
Eurasian Hobby
(Falco subbuteo)
Distribution: Found across Europe and Asia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ African Hobby (Falco cuvierii)
Distribution: Found in parts of Africa.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Oriental Hobby (Falco severus)
Distribution: Found in the region extending from the eastern Himalayas to southern China. Also found in southern Asia and Australasia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
★ Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis)
Distribution: Found in Australia.
Conservation Status: Least Concern
As you can see, there are several species of Falcons throughout the world. The destruction of natural habitat has led to the extinction of many of these species. We need to create awareness and do what we can to save these beautiful, yet predatory birds of prey.
Types of falcons at a glance
A list of Falcon species is shown below. The members of the Falcon Family are roughly divided into three or four groups.
The first one is the Kestrel. Kestrels feed on terrestrial vertebrates and appropriately sized invertebrates such as rodents, reptiles, or insects.
The second group contains some larger (average) and more elegant species, hobbies, and relatives. These birds are characterized by a sufficiently dark grayish gray in their feathers; Malar areas are almost always black. They feed mainly on small birds.
The third is the Peregrine Falcon and its relatives: the large dominant birds also have a black malar area (except for some light-colored morphs) and often have a black cap. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate in the other group, mainly moderately gray with a slight light or brown color on the upper.
They are moderately finer-grained than hobbies, and if the Hierofalcones are omitted, this group usually has species with the horizontal bearing on the lower part. Very similar to this and occasionally there are 4 or so species of hierofalcon included in it (literally “thunderbolt”).
They usually represent more phyloamylated money, which has a reddish-brown color and is usually reminiscent of more strongly-formed plumage lightning. Significantly, their undersides have a type of bleach, lines or arrow lengths.
Laughing Falcon Herpetotheres cachinnans LC
Barred Forest-falcon Micrastur ruficollis LC
Plumbeous Forest-falcon Micrastur plumbeus VU
Lined Forest-falcon Micrastur gilvicollis LC
Cryptic Forest-falcon Micrastur mintoni LC
Slaty-backed Forest-falcon Micrastur mirandollei LC
Collared Forest-falcon Micrastur semitorquatus LC
Buckley’s Forest-falcon Micrastur buckleyi LC
Spot-winged Falconet Spiziapteryx circumcincta LC
Crested Caracara Caracara cheriway LC
Southern Caracara Caracara plancus LC
Guadalupe Caracara Caracara lutosa EX
Red-throated Caracara Ibycter americanus LC
Carunculated Caracara Phalcoboenus carunculatus LC
Mountain Caracara Phalcoboenus megalopterus LC
White-throated Caracara Phalcoboenus albogularis LC
Striated Caracara Phalcoboenus australis NT
Black Caracara Daptrius ater LC
Yellow-headed Caracara Milvago chimachima LC
Chimango Caracara Milvago chimango LC
Pygmy Falcon Polihierax semitorquatus LC
White-rumped Falcon Polihierax insignis NT
Collared Falconet Microhierax caerulescens LC
Black-thighed Falconet Microhierax fringillarius LC
White-fronted Falconet Microhierax latifrons NT
Philippine Falconet Microhierax erythrogenys LC
Pied Falconet Microhierax melanoleucos LC
Brown Falcon Falco berigora LC
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni VU
Common Kestrel Falco tinnunculus LC
Madagascar Kestrel Falco newtoni LC
Mauritius Kestrel Falco punctatus VU
Seychelles Kestrel Falco araea VU
Reunion Kestrel Falco buboisi EX
Spotted Kestrel Falco moluccensis LC
Nankeen Kestrel Falco cenchroides LC
American Kestrel Falco sparverius LC
Greater Kestrel Falco rupicoloides LC
Fox Kestrel Falco alopex LC
Grey Kestrel Falco ardosiaceus LC
Dickinson’s Kestrel Falco dickinsoni LC
Banded Kestrel Falco zoniventris LC
Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera LC
Red-footed Falcon Falco vespertinus NT
Amur Falcon Falco amurensis LC
Eleonora’s Falcon Falco eleonorae LC
Sooty Falcon Falco concolor NT
Aplomado Falcon Falco femoralis LC
Merlin Falco columbarius LC
Bat Falcon Falco rufigularis LC
Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo LC
African Hobby Falco cuvierii LC
Oriental Hobby Falco severus LC
Australian Hobby Falco longipennis LC
New Zealand Falcon Falco novaeseelandiae NT
Grey Falcon Falco hypoleucos NT
Black Falcon Falco subniger LC
Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus LC
Laggar Falcon Falco jugger NT
Saker Falcon Falco cherrug VU
Gyr Falcon Falco rusticolus LC
Prairie Falcon Falco mexicanus LC
Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus LC
Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides LC
Orange-breasted Falcon Falco deiroleucus LC
Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha NT
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