77-416: Gennaia mexicana Hierofalco mexicanus The prairie falcon ( Falco mexicanus ) is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America . It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40 in), and average weight of 720 g (1.6 lb). As in all falcons, females are noticeably bigger than males. Though
154-506: A Prairie Falcon's crop expands and distends upon feeding exposing the white under feathers of the upper breast so that a juvenile Prairie Falcon which just fed can appear from a distance to have a very bright white upper breast like an adult. Also, factor 3 varies so that sometimes a Prairie Falcon's feet begin to turn yellow while juvenile and some individuals have gray skin as adults. It's thought that these fluctuations are caused by diet and resulting hormonal fluctuations between individuals. Of
231-407: 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
308-522: A decline could result in an inability for birds to find mates or suitable habitats. A major contributor to mortality has been the Great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ) but to a lesser extent, it has been observed that infestations of Haematosiphon inodorus and in some cases Oeciacus vicarius may be a cause of fledgling morbidity. Falcon 38; see text . Falcons ( / ˈ f ɒ l k ən , ˈ f ɔː l -, ˈ f æ l -/ ) are birds of prey in
385-454: A distant prairie falcon from a peregrine falcon (generally the only similar species in its range) by its shape and flight style. The prairie falcon has a longer tail in proportion to its size; a more tubular, less stocky body; and the wing joint is farther from the body. Its wingbeats are described as strong and shallow like the peregrine's and having the same quick cadence, but stiffer and more mechanical. The prairie falcon outwardly resembles
462-700: A falcon combining the aggressiveness and heat tolerance of the prairie falcon with the easier trainability and slightly greater strength of the larger peregrine subspecies, or the greater horizontal speed and significantly larger size and strength of the gyrfalcon. Due to this species' large range and apparently increasing population, it has been classified by the IUCN as least concern . However, it has experienced some local declines in Texas , California , British Columbia and Alberta as grasslands are developed for agriculture, suburbs, highways, and other automobile uses. Such
539-478: A general-purpose bird such as a broadwing . This makes flying easier while still learning 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
616-408: 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
693-415: A meter or two, sometimes gliding for more than a kilometer this way. If the rapidly approaching falcon flushes bird prey, the falcon has the speed advantage and may rapidly close with the prey. Another variation on these low attacks is using terrain as cover to approach beneath a flock of birds, then using its speed to perform a rapid climbing surprise attack into the flock. It also pursues prey sighted from
770-415: A perch in the manner of the short-winged accipiter hawks, again often flying low and using its speed to close with the prey in a tail-chase. Prairie falcons may even deliberately emulate the flight style of other birds in order to deceive potential prey and allow a surprise attack by the falcon. The dramatic high speed diving stoop from high altitude in the manner of the peregrine falcon, allowing overtaking
847-472: A prairie falcon kills a larger raptor, it usually does so in a diving stoop with striking methods similar to what it uses against prey much larger than itself. It may use a foot with talons clinched like a fist to make a high energy strike against the head or wing of its opponent, or use an extended talon in a rapier like thrust to create a fatal wound. However, it is not a given that prairie falcons will always be in conflict with nearby raptors. In years when food
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#1732802220589924-409: A separate species from the peregrine, the prairie falcon is basically an arid environment divergence of the early peregrine falcon lineage, able to subsist on less food than the peregrine, and generally lighter in weight than a peregrine of similar wing span. Having evolved in a harsh desert environment with low prey density, the prairie falcon has developed into an aggressive and opportunistic hunter of
1001-479: A strong genetic influence from larger bodied peregrine subspecies. The created strain of mixed subspecies peregrine tends to be heavier and stronger than the prairie falcon, and where they conflict over nesting sites they often displace prairie falcons. However, these reintroduced peregrines are little threat to prairie falcon populations within their natural range, as the prairie falcon with its greater heat tolerance, lower daily food requirement, and wider prey base has
1078-434: A wide range of both mammal and bird prey. It will regularly take prey from the size of sparrows to approximately its own weight, and occasionally much larger. It is the only larger falcon native only to North America. It is resident from southern Canada, through western United States, and into northern Mexico. The prairie falcon is popular as a falconry bird, where with proper training it is regarded as being as effective as
1155-404: Is a relative term here, since most or all the members of the genus falco are closely enough related that they can produce hybrid offspring via artificial insemination. But, only the most closely related of these species will produce fertile or partially fertile offspring. The karyological data of Schmutz and Oliphant provided early scientific evidence of the unexpectedly close relationship between
1232-409: Is best accomplished by a reward system of flushing game or serving live birds such as pigeons for the falcon to chase when the falcon has assumed the proper position several hundred feet or more above the falconer. The prairie falcon's eagerness to hunt and chase requires that it be patiently taught that when it assumes the proper waiting on position the falconer can be trusted to reliably flush game. As
1309-531: Is considered neither an Old World nor a New World land, since it was only discovered by the Europeans later. Both Australia and Antarctica were associated instead with the Terra Australis that had been posited as a hypothetical southern continent. In the context of archaeology and world history , the term "Old World" includes those parts of the world which were in (indirect) cultural contact from
1386-429: 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 the kestrels (probably excepting
1463-462: 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 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
1540-690: Is more widespread, ranging to low deserts and occasionally to towns. It breeds from southern Manitoba , Saskatchewan , Alberta and south-central British Columbia south through the western United States –roughly between the eastern edge of the Mountain Time Zone and the Cascade Mountains , as well as the Central Valley of California –to the Mexican states of Baja California , Durango , and northern San Luis Potosí . It
1617-553: Is much less migratory than the other North American falcons, but in winter it does withdraw somewhat from the northernmost and highest-elevation parts of its breeding range and spreads west to the deserts and Pacific coast of California, east to about the 100th meridian , and south to Baja California Sur , Jalisco , and Hidalgo . The prairie falcon eats mostly small mammals (especially in summer) and small to medium-sized birds caught in flight, though as an opportunistic predator it will occasionally take larger birds. Though accounts of
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#17328022205891694-458: Is particularly effective and deadly in raking the prey. When the closed foot strike is used it is typically directed against the head or wing of the prey, and if it does not outright kill, the prey is often rendered unconscious or unable to fly. These strikes are often accompanied by an explosion of feathers and an audible impact that may be heard from the ground hundreds of feet away. They have been known to be so forceful they can literally separate
1771-569: Is plentiful, prairie falcons have been known to nest within a few hundred meters of great horned owls, peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks, and golden eagles, with both sets of parents successfully rearing their young. As of 2006, the population of prairie falcons was estimated to be stable or increasing at over 5,000 pairs, with perhaps 200 pairs breeding at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho . By contrast, in
1848-426: 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
1925-462: Is relentless in its pursuit. Quoting from the book The Prairie Falcon , "Because they evolved in the harsh western environment, prairie falcons have the stamina to out-fly the strongest quarry. They have the spirit to crash through dense cover when attacking prey, something peregrines seldom attempt." In the longer distance lower prey density American west, the prairie falcon also has evolved eyes that are proportionally larger relative to head size than
2002-677: Is thus 30% or less of the weight of the tiercel, which is a common prey size fraction across numerous species of falcons where the males do the majority of the hunting during the nesting season. However, over shorter distances wildlife biologists have documented prairie falcons carrying up to about 60-70% of their body weight. Common mammalian prey for prairie falcons includes squirrels, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, gophers, and rabbits of various species. Reptiles are also sometimes taken. Bird prey commonly includes sparrows, starlings, grackles, doves, quail, meadow larks, pigeons, coots, teal, and mallards—virtually any bird of up to approximately
2079-446: Is warm gray-brown (sometimes called "sandy") above and pale with more or less dark mottling below. The darkest part of the upper side is the primary wing feathers; the lightest is the rump and tail, particularly the outer tail feathers. The head has a "moustache" mark like a peregrine falcon 's but narrower, and a white line over the eye. A conspicuous character is that the axillars ("wingpits") and underwing coverts are black, except along
2156-483: 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
2233-629: The Bronze Age onwards, resulting in the parallel development of the early civilizations , mostly in the temperate zone between roughly the 45th and 25th parallels north, in the area of the Mediterranean , including North Africa . It also included Mesopotamia , the Persian plateau , the Indian subcontinent , China , and parts of Sub-Saharan Africa . These regions were connected via
2310-519: 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
2387-488: The Merlin , it often hunts by flying fast and low, at a height of only a few meters or so, hoping to find surprised prey as it comes over the terrain or around bushes. Its cruising speed is estimated at 72 km/h (45 mph) and it accelerates in the chase. A variation on this method is for the falcon to stoop down from altitude and then level out near the ground, initially traveling at more than 100 mph at altitudes of
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2464-744: The Silk Road trade route, and they had a pronounced Iron Age period following the Bronze Age. In cultural terms, the Iron Age was accompanied by the so-called Axial Age , referring to cultural, philosophical and religious developments eventually leading to the emergence of the historical Western ( Hellenism , " classical "), Near Eastern ( Zoroastrian and Abrahamic ) and Far Eastern ( Hinduism , Buddhism , Jainism , Sikhism , Confucianism , Taoism ) cultural spheres . The mainland of Afro-Eurasia (excluding islands or island groups such as
2541-638: 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 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
2618-467: 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 ). Old World The " Old World " ( Latin : Mundus Vetus ) is a term for Afro-Eurasia coined by Europeans after 1493, when they became aware of
2695-453: The "shoulder" region. If the individual's back and wing feathers have a gray tinge and there are several feathers on the upper wings (shoulder) with a subtle but distinctly different brown tinge, then the bird is a second year bird because it didn't fully molt. Calls, heard mostly near the nest, are described as repetitive kree kree kree… , kik kik kik… , and the like, similar to the peregrine 's call but higher-pitched. Experts can separate
2772-642: 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
2849-555: The already large eyes of other falcons. The specialization of the prairie falcon to this particular environment is also reflected by the fact that there are no subspecies of the prairie falcon evolved to fit other environments, and that it seldom strays far outside the native range to which it is most suited and within which it has competitive advantages over the peregrine falcon. Though they are separate species after several million years of mostly separate evolution, prairie falcons are known to still occasionally interbreed with peregrines in
2926-455: The art of bringing down larger game. Proper training for prairie falcons includes providing abundant food when raising them (to avoid them developing the habit of screaming for food), and extensive "manning" (close contact and handling) when training them. Unlike the peregrine, they do not respond well to training with the swung lure, as missing the lure brings out their impatience. Teaching prairie falcons to climb and “wait on” to stoop on game
3003-459: 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 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
3080-408: The eggs of the prairie falcon are less porous and retain water better than those of their peregrine falcon cousins, leading to a higher hatching rate under these conditions. The incubation period is 31 days, beginning with the 2nd to last or last egg laid. Incubation becomes more intense after later eggs are laid, somewhat evening out hatching times. As is typical for falcons, the female does most of
3157-723: The existence of the Americas . It is used to contrast the continents of Africa , Europe , and Asia in the Eastern Hemisphere , previously thought of by the Europeans as comprising the entire world, with the " New World ", a term for the newly encountered lands of the Western Hemisphere , particularly the Americas. While located closer to Afro-Eurasia within the Eastern Hemisphere, Australia
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3234-583: The expansion of prairie falcon range to cliff nesting sites in areas formerly occupied by peregrines moderately outside historic prairie falcon territory. The successful reintroduction of peregrines to eastern and central United States brought peregrine and prairie falcons back into competition in these areas. The reintroduction program led by the Peregrine Fund bred and released more than 4,000 peregrine falcons from 1974 to 1997. The program necessarily made use of available captive bred peregrine stock with
3311-433: 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, 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
3388-437: The falcon comes to understand this, it learns to hunt as an effective team with the falconer. The availability of commercially bred falcons has in recent years reduced the need to capture falcons from the wild for use in falconry. The prairie falcon along with the peregrine and gyrfalcon is now often available via captive breeding. The prairie falcon is also sometimes hybridized with the peregrine falcon or gyrfalcon to create
3465-426: The falcon's own size and occasionally significantly larger. However, the need to feed their young focuses them on prey they can carry during nesting season, and the reproductive success of the prairie falcon depends upon such smaller prey being available. In keeping with the needs of a predator living in a prey-sparse desert environment, the prairie falcon has developed a wide range of hunting and flight styles. Like
3542-500: The fastest-moving creatures on Earth; the fastest recorded dive attained a vertical speed of 390 km/h (240 mph). The genus Falco 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
3619-467: The females typically larger than the males, thus allowing a wider range of prey species. As 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
3696-435: 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
3773-517: The head from the body of the prey. Territories of mated pairs in nesting season range from under 200 to over 400 square kilometers. Smaller territories where prey does not have to be carried as far enhances reproductive success. This species nests on cliff ledges, so breeding adults are local during the breeding season. The clutch averages four eggs, which are subelliptical and pinkish with brown, reddish-brown, and purplish dots. As part of their adaptation to hotter and lower humidity desert climates,
3850-400: 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
3927-516: The incubating and brooding, and the male brings most of the food, with the female also hunting after the young are 12 to 14 days old. The young fledge (first fly) from 36 to 41 days after hatching. They continue to be supported by their parents while learning to fly and hunt, with the parents gradually winding down the amount of food they provide as the youngsters' hunting skills improve. At approximately 65 days of age they are ready to be self-sufficient, and disperse from their natal area. In its range
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#17328022205894004-413: 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,
4081-822: The leading edge of the wing. This creates an effect of "struts" from the body along each wing. There are several ways to distinguish juvenile (first year) Prairie Falcons from adult (second year or older) Prairie Falcons. Each of these methods vary between individuals and several appearance factors may need to be considered as a whole. 1. Vertical dark streaking especially on the upper breast tends to be more prevalent in adults. 2. Exposed portions of shoulder and back feathers tend to be more uniformly colored in juveniles and barred with light and dark horizontal stripes in adults. 3. Skin around eyes, above beak (cere) and on legs and talons tends to be more yellow and sometimes with tinges of orange or green in adults. Skin tends to be gray in juveniles. Factor one can be mistakenly observed because
4158-446: 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
4235-472: The males weighing as much as 8 lbs, and being so hard-muscled that inexperienced falcons can easily be injured in striking them in a high-speed stoop. It takes a skilled falcon that knows how to forcefully but carefully and accurately strike them in the head or wing to bring them down cleanly. For this difficult prey experienced falconers usually prefer larger peregrine females, gyrfalcons, or gyr-peregrine hybrids, though some female prairie falcons do master
4312-423: The more well known peregrine falcon. Male prairie falcons are usually 37 to 38 cm in length (~15 inches) and weigh 500 to 635g (1.1 to 1.4 lbs). Females are about 45 cm in length (17.7 inches) and weigh 762 to 970g (1.7 to 2.1 lbs). A large female can be nearly twice the size of a small male, with wingspan reaching to 1.1 meters (3.5 feet), and tends to hunt significantly larger prey. Plumage
4389-521: 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
4466-564: The peregrine and prairie falcons. Wink and Sauer-Gürth later estimated using molecular systematics that the prairie falcon diverged about 3 to 5 million years ago from an archaic peregrine ancestor, assuming a molecular clock calibration of 2% sequence divergence per 1 million years. The prairie falcon then evolved from its peregrine stock forebears in a process of parapatric speciation based on partially separated environments where different selective pressures lead to separate genetic drift and eventually to separate species. This process has led to
4543-494: The peregrine as well as the Old World " hierofalcons ", especially the saker falcon . It was previously often considered the only New World member of the hierofalcon subgenus, but in recent decades this assumption has been disproven by genetic analysis. DNA studies beginning in the 1980s have shown the prairie falcon to be closer to the peregrine than to the hierofalcons. It now is considered an early aridland offshoot of
4620-457: 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
4697-471: The peregrine falcon lineage, much as the hierofalcons represent a later separate divergence that similarly adapted to arid habitat. Thus, the similarities between the prairie falcon and the hierofalcons are a good example of convergent evolution , with the prairie falcon and similar looking and behaving Old World forms such as the saker and lanner falcons not being the closest of related species, but instead ecological equivalents. However, "closely related"
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#17328022205894774-581: 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;
4851-465: The prairie falcon hard to train and unpredictable, others note that with proper training taking into account its impatient nature it may be as effective as the peregrine falcon . In his book The Hunting Falcon , biologist and falconer Bruce Haak states "In the field, the prairie falcon leaves no doubt that it can hold its own against the peregrine as a stylish and dedicated hunting companion." The smaller and more agile males are particularly effective in
4928-489: The prairie falcon having enhanced survivability in the sparse arid environment that dominates the interior of the American west. This enhanced competitiveness in this environment is based on superior energy efficiency (being no larger than the prey base and competition with other raptors requires), and versatility in the utilization of a wider range of prey. Moderately lower weight than the muscular peregrine for similar wingspan not only allows lower food and energy requirements by
5005-400: The prairie falcon must compete for food and space with other often larger raptors including the peregrine falcon , red tailed hawk , Harris's hawk , ferruginous hawk , great horned owl , and golden eagle . The large, powerful, and surprisingly agile golden eagle is the apex avian predator in this range, and is generally willing and able to attack and kill any of these other raptors. Under
5082-416: The prairie falcon taking prey as large as geese are verifiable (a prey that may be over 5 times heavier than a large female prairie falcon), it usually takes prey smaller than itself that it may safely subdue and which can be carried to the nest or to a safe perch to consume. The majority of prey is 150g or less, a weight that even the smaller tiercel (male) can carry long distances back to the nest. Most prey
5159-416: 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
5236-475: The right circumstances all these species are capable of sometimes displacing and occasionally killing the prairie falcon. However, the prairie falcon will aggressively defend its territory against any of them, with male and female often mounting a coordinated attack, and often turns the tables on these larger raptors. Wildlife biologists report numerous observations of prairie falcons successfully driving away and sometimes killing raptors larger than themselves. When
5313-410: The side of their beaks — unlike the hawks , eagles and other larger birds of prey from 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
5390-438: The simple expedient of less muscle to support, but also allows a lighter wing loading (weight per square unit of wing area) that allows more distance to be covered per calorie consumed when hunting over prey sparse terrain. The lighter wing loading also allows greater maneuverability, which is valuable in the pursuit of agile lightly wing loaded prey and rapidly dodging ground prey. When the prairie falcon locates needed prey, it
5467-491: 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
5544-471: The survival advantage in the harsh high desert environment in which it has evolved to prosper. This species is often used in falconry . It is the most popular falcon captured from the wild for falconry purposes in the United States, due to its abundance and relative ease to acquire. It is valued for its aggressiveness, agility, and determination to bring down game. Although some falconers considered
5621-417: The swiftest of birds or delivering a knock-out blow to large prey, is also a very natural part of the hunting repertoire of the prairie falcon. At impact the prey is hit with a closed foot or feet, or swiped with an open foot armed with talons. High-speed films have shown that this second method is the more common, with the toes closed into a “fist” immediately after striking. The claw on the hind toe, or hallux,
5698-411: The taking of small game birds such as dove, quail, and smaller ducks, while the larger and more powerful females reliably take larger game up through the size of large ducks and even pheasants. Some prairie falcons will strike still larger game such as geese and greater sage-grouse , but their willingness to do so runs the risk of injury to the falcon. The sage-grouse in particular is difficult game, with
5775-422: The three factors, factor 2 is probably the most reliable. However, all three factors should be used in conjunction. Interestingly, sometimes one can ascertain whether a Prairie Falcon is exactly in its second year. Some Prairie Falcon individuals molt into adult plumage back and wing feathers that have a more gray tinge than their brown juvenile feathers. First year molts tend to be usually incomplete particularly in
5852-441: The wild. The male offspring of these crossings may be fertile, and provide an avenue for at least some gene flow to possibly still occur between the species. Such gene flow in the past may have contributed to the continuing genetic closeness of the two species today. The natural habitat of the prairie falcon is open country, especially arid, in summer including alpine tundra to shortgrass prairie and high desert . In winter it
5929-466: The years before DDT contamination extirpated the eastern U.S. peregrine falcon population in the 1950s and 1960s, the number of eastern peregrines in the United States had already dropped to about 350 pairs. It is thought the prairie falcon mostly avoided the population loss suffered by the peregrine from DDT induced egg shell thinning due to its more remote environment partly insulating it from pesticide contamination. The loss of peregrine population allowed
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