Pied falconet facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Pied falconet |
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| Conservation status | |
Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Genus: | Microhierax |
| Species: |
M. melanoleucos
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| Binomial name | |
| Microhierax melanoleucos (Blyth, 1843)
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| Synonyms | |
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Microhierax melanoleucus (Blyth, 1843) ( error species.) |
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The pied falconet (Microhierax melanoleucos) is a small bird of prey from the Falconidae family. Birds of prey are also called raptors, and they hunt other animals for food.
You can find this bird in countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Laos, and Vietnam. It lives in temperate forests, which are forests with moderate climates.
These tiny raptors belong to a group called Microhierax. This group includes the smallest birds of prey in the world! The pied falconet is also known as the white-legged falconet. It likes to build its nests in old holes made by woodpeckers. This species is not considered endangered because it lives in a large area and its numbers are stable.
Contents
About the Pied Falconet
The pied falconet is a small raptor with black and white feathers. It is about 7 to 7.5 inches (18-19 cm) long and weighs between 55 and 75 grams. Even though it's small, it's actually bigger than other birds in its Microhierax group.
Its face is white, but it has a clear black patch that covers its eyes and reaches its ears. Its beak is yellowish. The top of its head and its upper body are completely black. Its long tail is black on top and has white stripes underneath.
Both male and female pied falconets look very similar. This is called "no sexual dimorphism". Young pied falconets also look a lot like the adult males.
The five species in the Microhierax group are the smallest raptors on Earth. While they look very different from other birds of prey, they are quite similar to each other. The pied falconet stands out from its relatives because it has white thighs and no reddish-brown (chestnut) colors. Sometimes, people might confuse it with the Ashy woodswallow (Artamus fuscus). However, the pied falconet has much blacker upper parts compared to the grey color of the Ashy Woodswallow.
Where They Live
The pied falconet lives across a wide area, from north-eastern India to eastern China and Southeast Asia. They prefer to live at the edges of forests and in clearings within wooded hills. They especially like open areas like old farmlands with banks and streams.
These birds often perch on the tops of trees, waiting to fly off and catch their food. They are not migratory birds, which means they stay in the same area all year long.
How They Behave
Their Calls
The pied falconet makes a loud, high-pitched scream and a chattering whistle. During the time they are looking for a mate, the male bird will make a fast series of calls to the female. This is part of his courtship behavior before they mate. The call starts high and excited, then slows down until the female is ready to mate. After mating, the male continues to call for a few more seconds.
What They Eat
Most of the pied falconet's diet is made up of insects. But they also eat small mammals, reptiles, and other birds. A falconet catches its food while flying. It can grab prey in mid-air or pluck it from the leaves of trees. Even though they are small, pied falconets are very fast and strong. This allows them to catch prey that is as big as or even slightly bigger than themselves!
Reproduction and Life Cycle
The pied falconet's breeding season is from March to May. Early in the season, male falconets show interest in mating by bringing leaves to the females. The male will fly away, then return to a female perched on a branch and offer her a leaf he collected.
Later in the breeding season, usually before mating, the males will bob up and down very quickly in front of the female while calling loudly. Mating happens after this behavior.
These small raptors build their nests in old holes made by barbets or woodpeckers. They lay their eggs on a bed of leaves or grass. Sometimes, their nesting holes are even filled with insect remains instead of leaves! Females usually lay three to four white eggs.
The pied falconet shares many similar behaviors during courtship and mating with the collared falconet (Microhierax caerulescens). For example, the behavior of presenting leaves was first seen in the collared falconet. Collared falconets are also known to breed cooperatively, meaning several adults help raise the young. This cooperative breeding is also thought to happen with the black-thighed falconet (Microhierax fringillarius) and other Microhierax species. Pied falconets are sometimes seen in groups of 5 or 6, which suggests they might also breed cooperatively.
Gallery
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Pied Falconet in Kaziranga National Park, India
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A pied falconet
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Pied Falconet in Kaziranga National Park, India
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