Barbary falcon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Barbary falcon |
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| Falco pelegrinoides |
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The Barbary falcon (Falco pelegrinoides) is a type of bird that hunts other animals. It's a medium-sized falcon, about the same size as a crow. This amazing bird of prey makes its home and raises its young in the Canary Islands and along the coasts of North Africa. Unlike some birds, it usually stays in the same area all year round. Many people believe it is a close relative of the well-known peregrine falcon.
What the Barbary Falcon Looks Like
The Barbary falcon prefers to live in dry, open places like semi-deserts and rocky hills. These birds often lay their eggs in nests built on cliff ledges, which are high and safe spots.
This falcon is quite similar to the peregrine falcon, but it is smaller. It measures about 33 to 39 centimeters long, and its wings can spread from 76 to 98 centimeters. The female Barbary falcon is larger than the male. Even with its smaller size, it looks a lot like its peregrine relative.
Adult Barbary falcons have lighter grey-blue feathers on their upper parts than peregrine falcons. Their undersides often have a creamy color with stripes, while the larger peregrine usually has a white background. They also have a reddish-brown patch on the back of their neck, but it can be hard to spot.
Male and female Barbary falcons look alike, except for their size. However, young birds have brown feathers on their backs and striped undersides. These stripes are usually lighter than those seen on young peregrine falcons.
When a Barbary falcon calls, it makes a high-pitched sound that sounds like "rek-rek-rek."
The Barbary falcon also looks a bit like the lanner falcon. But you can tell them apart when they are resting by looking at the patterns on their heads. When they are flying, you can tell them apart by their size, how they fly, and the patterns under their wings.
Where the Barbary Falcon Lives
The Barbary falcon is originally from Northern and Eastern parts of Africa. This includes countries like Algeria, the Canary Islands, Egypt, Eritrea, Morocco, Niger, Sudan, Somalia, Tunisia, and Yemen.
It is also commonly found in the Middle East, Central Asia, and South Asia. Some of these countries are Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Libya, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, and Uzbekistan.
Sometimes, a Barbary falcon might wander far from its usual home. This is called being a vagrant. They have been seen as vagrants in countries like Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Djibouti, Greece, Italy, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Malta, Nepal, Portugal, Qatar, Senegal, and Turkey.
See also
In Spanish: Halcón tagarote para niños
