Falcon facts for kids

This article is about Falcon (disambiguation). For Falcons (disambiguation), see Falcon (disambiguation).

Quick facts for kids Falcon Temporal range: Late Miocene to present

Brown falcon (Falco berigora) in Victoria, Australia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Falconidae
Subfamily:	Falconinae
Genus:	*Falco* Linnaeus, 1758
Type species
Falco subbuteo (Eurasian hobby) Linnaeus, 1758
Species
38; see text.

Falcons are amazing birds of prey! They are like smaller cousins to hawks and eagles. You can spot them by their pointed wings and long tails.

For hundreds of years, people have worked with falcons in a practice called falconry. This is when people train these birds to hunt for them. Long ago, it helped people find food. Today, it's mostly a sport or hobby.

What are Falcons?
Amazing Vision and Speed
- How Fast Can a Falcon Fly?
Where Falcons Live
What Falcons Eat
Falcon Food Storage
Types of Falcons
- Species of Falcons
- Falcons That Are No Longer Alive
Images for kids
See also

What are Falcons?

Falcons belong to a group of birds called Falco. This group was first named in 1758 by a Swedish scientist, Carl Linnaeus. The name Falco comes from a Latin word meaning "sickle," which describes the shape of the falcon's sharp claws.

Adult falcons have thin, pointed wings. These wings help them fly super fast and change direction quickly in the air. Young falcons, who are still learning to fly, have longer feathers. This makes it easier for them to learn the amazing hunting skills they'll need as adults.

Most falcons have dark gray or brown backs and wings. Their undersides are usually white. Falcons are special because they use a small "tooth" on the side of their beak to kill their prey. This is different from hawks and eagles, who use their strong feet.

The biggest falcon is the gyrfalcon, which can be up to 65 centimeters (about 2 feet) long. The smallest is the Pygmy falcon, only about 20 centimeters (8 inches) long. Female falcons are usually bigger than males. This helps them hunt a wider variety of animals.

Some smaller falcons with long, narrow wings are called "hobbies." Others, who can stay still in the air while hunting, are called "kestrels."

Scientists believe falcons have been around for at least 10 million years. They are not closely related to other birds of prey. Instead, their closest relatives are actually parrots and songbirds!

Amazing Vision and Speed

How Fast Can a Falcon Fly?

Falcons have incredibly sharp eyesight, much better than humans. One type of falcon can see 2.6 times better than a person!

Peregrine falcons are known for being the fastest animals on Earth. They can dive at speeds of 320 km/h (200 mi/h). The fastest recorded dive was an incredible 390 km/h (240 mi/h)!

Where Falcons Live

The peregrine falcon lives almost everywhere in the world, except Antarctica. They are famous for hunting other birds by diving on them at high speeds. Sadly, these falcons almost disappeared in North America because of pesticides. But thankfully, they have made a great comeback!

Falcons live on all continents except Antarctica. There are about 40 different kinds of falcons in the Falco group.

What Falcons Eat

Most falcons hunt small mammals using their excellent eyesight. Some falcons also hunt other birds, catching them right in the air!

Falcon Food Storage

On a Moroccan island called Mogador, falcons have been seen doing something very unusual. They seem to trap small birds in cracks in rocks. It looks like they are saving them to eat later!

Mogador Island is now a nature reserve. Eleonora’s falcons nest among the old ruins there. They hunt migrating birds like warblers and hoopoes. Researchers found small birds trapped in deep holes, unable to move their wings or legs.

Eleonora’s falcons have been known to store up to 20 dead birds during migration season when there's lots of food. But keeping live "snacks" might be a unique behavior for these clever birds!

Types of Falcons

Scientists group falcons into a few main types:

Kestrels: These are usually small and strong falcons. They are mostly brown on top. Kestrels mainly eat small land animals like rodents, reptiles, or insects.
Hobbies: These falcons are a bit larger. They often have dark gray feathers and black marks on their cheeks. Hobbies mostly hunt smaller birds.
Peregrine Falcons and Relatives: This group includes the very fast peregrine falcon. They also have black cheek marks and often a black cap on their heads. They are usually medium gray with lighter or brownish colors. These large falcons hunt medium-sized birds and land animals.
Hierofalcons: These falcons look a bit like hawks, with reddish or brown colors and strong patterns on their feathers. Their undersides have blotches or lines.

Species of Falcons

Here are some of the different kinds of falcons:

Common name	Scientific name	Where they live
Malagasy kestrel	Falco newtoni	Madagascar, Mayotte, and the Comores.
Seychelles kestrel	Falco araeus	Seychelles Islands
Mauritius kestrel	Falco punctatus	Mauritius
Spotted kestrel	Falco moluccensis	Wallacea and Java
Nankeen kestrel or Australian kestrel	Falco cenchroides	Australia and New Guinea
Common kestrel	Falco tinnunculus	Widespread in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Rock kestrel	Falco rupicolus	Southern Africa.
Greater kestrel	Falco rupicoloides	Southern Africa.
Fox kestrel	Falco alopex	South of the Sahara in Africa.
Lesser kestrel	Falco naumanni	Afghanistan, Central Asia, China, and Mongolia.
Grey kestrel	Falco ardosiaceus	Eastern and Western Africa.
Dickinson's kestrel	Falco dickinsoni	Southern Africa.
Banded kestrel	Falco zoniventris	Madagascar
Red-necked falcon	Falco chicquera	Africa, India
Red-footed falcon	Falco vespertinus	Southern Russia and Ukraine.
Amur falcon	Falco amurensis	South-eastern Siberia and Northern China.
Eleonora's falcon	Falco eleonorae	Mediterranean islands and coasts.
Sooty falcon	Falco concolor	Northeastern Africa to the Persian Gulf.
American kestrel or "sparrow hawk"	Falco sparverius	North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
Aplomado falcon	Falco femoralis	Mexico to Southern South America.
Merlin or "pigeon hawk"	Falco columbarius	Eurasia, North Africa, North America.
Bat falcon	Falco rufigularis	Tropical Mexico, Central and South America.
Orange-breasted falcon	Falco deiroleucus	Southern Mexico to Northern Argentina.
Eurasian hobby	Falco subbuteo	Africa, Europe and Asia.
African hobby	Falco cuvierii	Across much of Africa.
Oriental hobby	Falco severus	Eastern Himalayas to Australasia.
Australian hobby or little falcon	Falco longipennis	Australia.
New Zealand falcon or Ngarangi or kārearea	Falco novaeseelandiae	New Zealand.
Brown falcon	Falco berigora	Australia and New Guinea.
Grey falcon	Falco hypoleucos	Australia.
Black falcon	Falco subniger	Australia.
Lanner falcon	Falco biarmicus	Africa, Southeast Europe and parts of Asia.
Laggar falcon	Falco jugger	Southern Asia.
Saker falcon	Falco cherrug	Ethiopia, Arabian peninsula, Northern Pakistan, Western China.
Gyrfalcon	Falco rusticolus	Arctic regions like Greenland, Canada, Alaska, Iceland, and Norway.
Prairie falcon	Falco mexicanus	Western North America.
Peregrine falcon	Falco peregrinus	Found almost everywhere in the world.
Taita falcon	Falco fasciinucha	Kenya.