40-495: The sooty falcon ( Falco concolor ) is a medium-sized falcon breeding from northeastern Africa to the southern Persian Gulf region. The word sooty means to be covered in soot (ash), and is used to describe the color of the Sooty Falcon. Hence, the falcon gets its name from its color, the color of soot. The Sooty Falcon is part of the order Falconiformes, family Falconidae and genus Falco . The sooty falcon belongs to
80-407: A closely related one. In any case, the genus name Sushkinia is invalid for this animal because it had already been allocated to a prehistoric dragonfly relative. In 2015 the bird genus was renamed Psushkinia . The supposed "Falco" pisanus was actually a pigeon of the genus Columba , possibly the same as Columba omnisanctorum , which, in that case, would adopt the older species name of
120-463: A distance of 5500 kilometers. The falcons start their migration during the night but tend to travel only during the day. They stop-over at rest spots along Eastern Africa, spots where there are potential water sources. It was formerly classified as Least Concern by the IUCN , but has recently been shown to be rarer than formerly believed. Consequently, it was uplisted to Vulnerable status in 2017. It
160-455: A falcon spots a flying prey bird they try to fly further above it, and then dive down to intercept the prey. (4) Survey flight. Individuals circle areas at great heights in hopes of spotting a prey item. Once prey is spotted the falcon flies down below the prey, and then turns back up into the prey's flight path to catch it. Sooty Falcons lay eggs during mid-summer, and unlike most other falcons, occasionally nest in colonies. The falcons breed in
200-408: A lengthwise pattern of blotches, lines, or arrowhead marks. While these three or four groups, loosely circumscribed, are an informal arrangement, they probably contain several distinct clades in their entirety. A study of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data of some kestrels identified a clade containing the common kestrel and related " malar -striped" species, to the exclusion of such taxa as
240-475: A male falcon is tercel ( British spelling ) or tiercel ( American spelling ), from the Latin tertius ( third ) because of the belief that only one in three eggs hatched a male bird. Some sources give the etymology as deriving from the fact that a male falcon is about one-third smaller than a female ( Old French : tiercelet ). A falcon chick, especially one reared for falconry , still in its downy stage,
280-615: Is a long-distance migrant , wintering in east Africa and south to Madagascar and south-eastern South Africa . Increasingly regular sightings and a lack of historical records suggests that the wintering range has expanded south in recent decades. It is a rare vagrant north of its breeding range. The sooty falcon eats mainly birds (e.g. Sandgrouse), but it will take large insects , such as dragonflies , which are transferred from talons to beak and eaten in flight. They have also been known to eat lizards and crabs. During their breeding season they exclusively feed on small birds. During winter
320-430: Is estimated that their population ranges between 2800 and 4000 individuals and that these numbers are declining. The breeding population of Sooty falcons on the islands of northern Oman is in decline, with human disturbance on accessible islands a likely cause, as falcons breeding close to beaches have lower nesting success than those breeding further away. Hence, mitigating human disturbances and protecting natural habitats
360-452: Is known as an eyas (sometimes spelled eyass ). The word arose by mistaken division of Old French un niais , from Latin presumed nidiscus (nestling) from nidus ( nest ). The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of prey is known as falconry . Compared to other birds of prey, the fossil record of the falcons is not well distributed in time. For years, the oldest fossils tentatively assigned to this genus were from
400-472: Is needed to make a direct, or indirect, assessment of its risk of extinction based on its distribution or population status. Since 2001 the category has had the abbreviation "LC", following the IUCN 2001 Categories & Criteria (version 3.1). Before 2001 "least concern" was a subcategory of the " Lower Risk " category and assigned the code "LR/lc" or lc. Around 20% of least concern taxa (3261 of 15,636) in
440-437: Is of critical conservation concern to the Sooty Falcon. Falcon 38; see text . Falcons ( / ˈ f ɒ l k ən , ˈ f ɔː l -, ˈ f æ l -/ ) are birds of prey in the genus Falco , which includes about 40 species . Some small species of falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies , and some that hover while hunting are called kestrels . Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of
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#1732797847020480-426: Is probably plesiomorphic . These large Falco species feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates. Very similar to these, and sometimes included therein, are the four or so species of hierofalcon (literally, "hawk-falcons"). They represent taxa with, usually, more phaeomelanins , which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of hawks . Their undersides have
520-517: Is the case with many birds of prey, falcons have exceptional powers of vision ; the visual acuity of one species has been measured at 2.6 times that of human eyes . They are incredibly fast fliers, with the Peregrine falcons having been recorded diving at speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth; the fastest recorded dive attained a vertical speed of 390 km/h (240 mph). The genus Falco
560-519: The Gelasian , roughly 2.0–2.5 million years ago (Mya), and are seemingly of tropical East African origin. The entire "true kestrel" group—excluding the American species—is probably a distinct and quite young clade , as also suggested by their numerous apomorphies . Other studies have confirmed that the hierofalcon are a monophyletic group–and that hybridization is quite frequent at least in
600-482: The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) as not being a focus of wildlife conservation because the specific species is still plentiful in the wild. They do not qualify as threatened , near threatened , or (before 2001) conservation dependent . Species cannot be assigned the "Least Concern" category unless they have had their population status evaluated. That is, adequate information
640-513: The hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis . Eleonora's falcon is sometimes considered its closest relative, but while they certainly belong to the same clade, they do not seem to be sister species . This is an elegant bird of prey , 32–37 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. It is shaped like a large hobby or a small Eleonora's falcon , with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body. The adults are blue-grey, and lack
680-518: The kestrels (probably excepting the American kestrel ); usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upperside colour and sometimes sexually dimorphic; three African species that are generally gray in colour stand apart from the typical members of this group. The fox and greater kestrels can be told apart at first glance by their tail colours, but not by much else; they might be very close relatives and are probably much closer to each other than
720-424: The "falcon". The Eocene fossil "Falco" falconellus (or "F." falconella ) from Wyoming is a bird of uncertain affiliations, maybe a falconid, maybe not; it certainly does not belong in this genus. "Falco" readei is now considered a paleosubspecies of the yellow-headed caracara ( Milvago chimachima ). Least Concern A least-concern species is a species that has been evaluated and categorized by
760-642: The American Falco species of today belong to the peregrine group, or are apparently more basal species, the initially most successful evolutionary radiation seemingly was a Holarctic one that originated possibly around central Eurasia or in (northern) Africa. One or several lineages were present in North America by the Early Pliocene at latest. The origin of today's major Falco groups—the "typical" hobbies and kestrels, for example, or
800-555: The IUCN database still use the code "LR/lc", which indicates they have not been re-evaluated since 2000. While "least concern" is not considered a red listed category by the IUCN, the 2006 IUCN Red List still assigns the category to 15,636 taxa. The number of animal species listed in this category totals 14,033 (which includes several undescribed species such as a frog from the genus Philautus ). There are also 101 animal subspecies listed and 1500 plant taxa (1410 species, 55 subspecies, and 35 varieties). No fungi or protista have
840-655: The Late Miocene , less than 10 million years ago. This coincides with a period in which many modern genera of birds became recognizable in the fossil record. As of 2021, the oldest falconid fossil is estimated to be 55 million years old. Given the distribution of fossil and living Falco taxa , falcons are probably of North American, African, or possibly Middle Eastern or European origin. Falcons are not closely related to other birds of prey, and their nearest relatives are parrots and songbirds . Falcons are roughly divisible into three or four groups. The first contains
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#1732797847020880-477: The aerial skills required to be effective hunters like the adults. The falcons are the largest genus in the Falconinae subfamily of Falconidae , which also includes two other subfamilies comprising caracaras and a few other species of "falcons". All these birds kill prey with their beaks , using a tomial "tooth" on the side of their beaks — unlike the hawks , eagles and other larger birds of prey from
920-490: The arid deserts of Southwest Asia and North Africa during the summer months, which is remarkable due to high summer temperatures. They breed in three types of arid environment: (1) small islands in the Red Sea, (2) mountainous deserts and (3) in deserts with rocky outcrops. It nests on a ledge or on rocks, laying up to four eggs . While the falcons tend to nest on high cliffs, they have also been found nesting between rocks or on
960-528: The black underwing coverts of the Eleonora's falcon. The young bird is like a large juvenile hobby, or small juvenile Eleanora's falcon. Its dark trailing edge to the wings and tail distinguish it from the former species, and it lacks the underwing contrast caused by the dark coverts of the larger falcon. This species is distributed across Southwest Asia and North Africa. This species breeds on islands and coastal or desert cliffs from Libya to Pakistan ). It
1000-562: The falcons hunt alone, in groups or even as flocks of up to 15 individuals. These hunting flocks tend to perch on trees and feed on swarming insects. During the breeding, summer, season males do the majority of the hunting. Four hunting techniques are employed: (1) Diving from a perch. The falcons spot prey from their perch and then dive bomb and catch it. (2) Flushing. Flushing is a technique used in which falcon individuals fly low over bushes or trees in an attempts to flush other birds out, after which they catch them. (3) Flying up to come down. When
1040-470: The female, while the male only taking shifts for 1-7 minutes while the female sunbathes. Males hunt and bring food to the female and chicks once they have hatched. During the incubation period males provide females with 3-4 birds per day. Excess food is cached on shaded ledges outside the nest. Doing this ensures that food is regulated and that it is available when it is scarce. It also keeps the nests clean, and prevents parasites and pests from being attracted to
1080-435: The greater kestrel (which lacks a malar stripe), the lesser kestrel (which is very similar to the common, but also has no malar stripe), and the American kestrel, which has a malar stripe, but its colour pattern – apart from the brownish back – and also the black feathers behind the ear, which never occur in the true kestrels, are more reminiscent of some hobbies. The malar-striped kestrels apparently split from their relatives in
1120-399: The ground. Nests are scraped into soft limestone, chalk or sandstone cliffs, and face away from the sun to provide shelter from its rays. Nest also function as perches from which defense against predators is mounted. Birds begin to display and mate during April and May, with eggs being laid by July-August. Egg incubation lasts approximately 27-29 days. Incubation is predominantly performed by
1160-400: The hobbies and, if the hierofalcons are excluded (see below), this group typically contains species with horizontal barring on their undersides. As opposed to the other groups, where tail colour varies much in general but little according to evolutionary relatedness, the tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark grey with inconspicuous black banding and small, white tips, though this
1200-413: The larger falcon species. Initial studies of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggested that the hierofalcon are basal among living falcons. The discovery of a NUMT proved this earlier theory erroneous. In reality, the hierofalcon are a rather young group, originating at the same time as the start of the main kestrel radiation, about 2 Mya. Very little fossil history exists for this lineage. However,
1240-446: The lesser and common kestrels. Kestrels feed chiefly on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of appropriate size, such as rodents , reptiles , or insects . The second group contains slightly larger (on average) species, the hobbies and relatives. These birds are characterized by considerable amounts of dark slate-gray in their plumage; their malar areas are nearly always black. They feed mainly on smaller birds. Third are
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1280-759: The nests. The young falcons remain in the nest for 32-38 days, after which they still remain near the nest for a further 2-3 weeks. During this period the parents still take care of them, but thereafter the level of parental care begins to decrease. Birds nesting on islands in the Sea of Oman have a mean clutch size of 2.83 and brood size of 2.11, with 12% of nests failing at the egg or nesting stage. The falcons migrate from their breeding grounds in Southwest Asia and North Africa to winter in Eastern and South-eastern Africa. The journey takes approximately 13 days and covers
1320-521: The overall phylogeny of the Falconidae , is not very informative in the present genus. Nonetheless, a core group containing the peregrine and Barbary falcons, which, in turn, group with the hierofalcon and the more distant prairie falcon (which was sometimes placed with the hierofalcon, though it is entirely distinct biogeographically ), as well as at least most of the "typical" hobbies, are confirmed to be monophyletic as suspected. Given that
1360-457: The peregrine falcon and its relatives, variably sized powerful birds that also have a black malar area (except some very light color morphs ), and often a black cap, as well. They are very fast birds with a maximum speed of 390 kilometres per hour. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate between the other groups, being chiefly medium grey with some lighter or brownish colours on their upper sides. They are, on average, more delicately patterned than
1400-581: The peregrine-hierofalcon complex, or the aplomado falcon lineage—can be quite confidently placed from the Miocene - Pliocene boundary through the Zanclean and Piacenzian and just into the Gelasian, that is from 2.4 to 5.3 Mya, when the malar-striped kestrels diversified. Some groups of falcons, such as the hierofalcon complex and the peregrine-Barbary superspecies, have only evolved in more recent times;
1440-416: The present diversity of very recent origin suggests that this lineage may have nearly gone extinct in the recent past. The phylogeny and delimitations of the peregrine and hobby groups are more problematic. Molecular studies have only been conducted on a few species, and the morphologically ambiguous taxa have often been little researched. The morphology of the syrinx , which contributes well to resolving
1480-491: The species of the former seem to be 120,000 years old or so. The sequence follows the taxonomic order of White et al. (1996), except for adjustments in the kestrel sequence. Several more paleosubspecies of extant species also been described; see species accounts for these. "Sushkinia" pliocaena from the Early Pliocene of Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) appears to be a falcon of some sort. It might belong in this genus or
1520-415: The unrelated family Accipitridae , who use talons on their feet. The largest falcon is the gyrfalcon at up to 65 cm (26 in) in length. The smallest falcon species is the pygmy falcon , which measures just 20 cm (7.9 in). As with hawks and owls , falcons exhibit sexual dimorphism , with the females typically larger than the males, thus allowing a wider range of prey species. As
1560-480: The world except Antarctica , though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene . Adult falcons have thin, tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers , which make their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing . This makes flying easier while still learning
1600-520: Was introduced in 1758 by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae . The type species is the merlin ( Falco columbarius ). The genus name Falco is Late Latin meaning a "falcon" from falx , falcis , meaning "a sickle", referring to the claws of the bird. In Middle English and Old French , the title faucon refers generically to several captive raptor species. The traditional term for
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