Prairie falcon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Prairie falcon |
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| Conservation status | |
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| Genus: |
Falco
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| Species: |
mexicanus
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| Synonyms | |
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Gennaia mexicana |
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The prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) is a type of falcon found in western North America. It's about the same size as a peregrine falcon or a crow. These birds are usually around 40 cm (16 in) long, with a wingspan of about 1 meter (40 in). They weigh about 720 g (1.6 lb). Like all falcons, the females are bigger than the males.
Even though it's a different species, the prairie falcon is like a desert version of the peregrine falcon. It can live on less food and is generally lighter. Because it grew up in tough desert areas with not much prey, the prairie falcon is a strong and clever hunter. It eats many different mammals and birds. It can catch prey from the size of a sparrow up to its own weight, and sometimes even bigger. It's the only large falcon that lives only in North America. You can find it from southern Canada, through the western United States, and into northern Mexico. People who practice falconry (hunting with trained birds of prey) like the prairie falcon a lot. With the right training, it can be just as good as the more famous peregrine falcon.
Contents
Description
Appearance
Adults
Male prairie falcons are usually about 37 to 38 cm (around 15 inches) long. They weigh between 500 to 635g (1.1 to 1.4 lbs). Females are bigger, about 45 cm (17.7 inches) long, and weigh 762 to 970g (1.7 to 2.1 lbs). A large female can be almost twice the size of a small male. Because they are larger, females tend to hunt bigger prey.
Their feathers are a warm gray-brown color on top. This color is sometimes called "sandy." Their underside is pale with some dark spots. The darkest feathers are on their wings, while the lightest are on their rump and tail. They have a "moustache" mark on their head, similar to a peregrine falcon's, but it's thinner. They also have a white line above their eye. A special feature is that their "wingpits" (the area under their wings where the wing joins the body) and the feathers covering them are black. This makes it look like they have dark "struts" under each wing.
Young Falcons
It can be tricky to tell young prairie falcons (in their first year) from adults (two years or older). One way is that adults often have more dark streaks on their upper chest. Also, the feathers on the shoulders and back of young birds are usually one color. In adults, these feathers have light and dark stripes. The skin around the eyes, above the beak (called the cere), and on the legs and talons is often yellow in adults. In young birds, this skin is usually gray. However, these things can change a bit depending on what the bird eats.
Call
Prairie falcons make calls mostly when they are near their nest. Their calls sound like repeated kree kree kree… or kik kik kik…. These sounds are similar to a peregrine falcon's call, but they are higher-pitched.
Similar Birds
It can be hard to tell a prairie falcon from a peregrine falcon, especially from far away. These are usually the only similar birds in the prairie falcon's home area. Experts can tell them apart by their shape and how they fly. The prairie falcon has a longer tail compared to its body size. Its body is more slender, not as bulky. Also, its wing joint is further from its body. Its wingbeats are strong and quick, like a peregrine's, but they look a bit stiffer.
How They Live and Hunt
Habitat and Where They Live
Prairie falcons live in open areas, especially dry places. In summer, this includes high alpine tundra to short prairie grasslands and high desert. In winter, they spread out more, going to lower deserts and sometimes even towns. They breed from southern Canada (Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia) south through the western United States. This area is roughly between the eastern edge of the Mountain Time Zone and the Cascade Mountains, and also includes the Central Valley of California. They also live in northern Mexico, including Baja California, Durango, and northern San Luis Potosí.
Prairie falcons don't travel as far as other North American falcons. But in winter, they do move away from the coldest northern and highest parts of their breeding range. They spread west to the deserts and Pacific coast of California, east to about the 100th meridian, and south to Baja California Sur, Jalisco, and Hidalgo.
Diet
Prairie falcons mostly eat small mammals and small to medium-sized birds. They usually catch birds while flying. They are opportunistic hunters, meaning they will eat whatever food they can find. Sometimes they even catch larger birds. There are stories of prairie falcons catching prey as big as geese, which can be five times heavier than a large female falcon! However, they usually catch prey smaller than themselves. This makes it easier to carry the food back to their nest or a safe spot to eat.
Most of their prey weighs 150g or less. Even a smaller male falcon (called a tiercel) can carry this weight a long way back to the nest. This is important during nesting season when the males do most of the hunting. Common mammals they eat include squirrels, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, chipmunks, gophers, and rabbits. They sometimes eat reptiles too. For birds, they often catch sparrows, starlings, grackles, doves, quail, meadowlarks, pigeons, coots, teal, and mallards. They will hunt almost any bird up to their own size, and sometimes bigger.
Hunting Methods
Prairie falcons have many different ways of hunting and flying. This helps them find food in the desert where prey can be scarce.
- Like the Merlin, they often fly fast and low, just a few meters above the ground. They hope to surprise prey as they fly over the land or around bushes. Their normal flying speed is about 72 km/h (45 mph), and they get even faster when chasing prey.
- Sometimes, a falcon will dive down from high up and then level out near the ground. They can travel over 100 mph at just a meter or two high, sometimes gliding for more than a kilometer. If the fast-approaching falcon scares a bird into flying, the falcon has the speed advantage and can quickly catch it.
- Another trick is to use the land as cover. They fly low to get close to a flock of birds, then use their speed to make a quick, surprise climb into the flock.
- They also hunt from a high spot, like a tree or cliff. When they see prey, they chase it, often flying low and using their speed to catch up.
- Prairie falcons can even copy how other birds fly to trick prey and make a surprise attack.
- They are also very good at the dramatic, high-speed diving stoop, just like a peregrine falcon. This allows them to catch the fastest birds or hit large prey with a powerful blow.
When they hit their prey, they either use a closed foot (like a fist) or an open foot with their sharp talons. Videos show that using an open foot is more common. The claw on their back toe (hallux) is very effective. If they use a closed foot, they usually aim for the prey's head or wing. This can knock the prey out or make it unable to fly. These hits are often so strong that feathers explode, and you can hear the impact from far away. Sometimes, the hit can even separate the head from the prey's body.
Territory
During nesting season, a mated pair of prairie falcons will claim a territory. These territories can range from under 200 to over 400 square kilometers. Smaller territories are better for raising young because the parents don't have to fly as far to bring food back.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Nest
Prairie falcons build their nests on cliff ledges. This means that adult falcons stay in one area during the breeding season.
Eggs
A female prairie falcon usually lays about four eggs. The eggs are oval-shaped and pinkish, with brown, reddish-brown, and purplish spots. To help them survive in hot, dry desert climates, prairie falcon eggs are less porous than peregrine falcon eggs. This means they hold water better, which helps more chicks hatch in these conditions.
Incubation
The eggs hatch after 31 days. The parents start incubating (sitting on the eggs to keep them warm) more intensely after the last few eggs are laid. This helps all the chicks hatch around the same time.
Sharing Work
Like most falcons, the female does most of the incubating and keeps the young chicks warm. The male brings most of the food. Once the young are about 12 to 14 days old, the female also starts hunting.
Chicks
The young falcons take their first flight (fledge) when they are 36 to 41 days old. After they start flying, their parents continue to feed them while they learn to hunt on their own. The parents slowly give them less food as the young birds get better at hunting. When they are about 65 days old, they are ready to live by themselves and leave their birth area.
Competition
Prairie falcons share their home with other large birds of prey. These include the peregrine falcon, red-tailed hawk, Harris's hawk, ferruginous hawk, great horned owl, and golden eagle. The golden eagle is the top bird predator in this area. It is large, powerful, and surprisingly agile. Golden eagles can attack and kill any of these other raptors. Sometimes, these other birds can also take over a prairie falcon's territory or even kill them.
However, prairie falcons are very aggressive and will defend their territory. Both the male and female often work together to attack larger raptors. Wildlife experts have seen prairie falcons successfully chase away and even kill birds bigger than themselves. When a prairie falcon kills a larger raptor, it usually does so by diving from high up. It hits the opponent with a closed foot, aiming for the head or wing. Or, it might use an extended talon to cause a fatal wound.
Even though they compete, prairie falcons don't always fight with nearby raptors. In years when there is plenty of food, prairie falcons have been known to nest very close to great horned owls, peregrine falcons, red-tailed hawks, and golden eagles. In these cases, both sets of parents successfully raise their young.
Population Size
In 2006, there were an estimated 5,000 or more pairs of prairie falcons, and their numbers seemed to be stable or growing. About 200 pairs were breeding at the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Idaho.
In the past, the peregrine falcon population in the eastern U.S. dropped a lot because of DDT pesticide. Prairie falcons were mostly safe from this problem because they lived in more remote areas. When peregrine falcons disappeared from some areas, prairie falcons were able to expand their range and nest in cliffs that peregrines used to occupy. Later, peregrine falcons were successfully reintroduced to the eastern and central United States. This brought peregrines and prairie falcons back into competition. The reintroduced peregrines are often heavier and stronger than prairie falcons. Where they compete for nesting sites, peregrines often take over. However, these reintroduced peregrines are not a big threat to prairie falcon populations in their natural home. Prairie falcons are better at handling heat, need less food, and eat a wider variety of prey. This gives them an advantage in the harsh desert environment where they have evolved to thrive.
Use in Falconry
Prairie falcons are often used in falconry, which is the sport of hunting with trained birds of prey. They are the most popular falcon caught from the wild for falconry in the United States. This is because there are many of them, and they are relatively easy to get. People who practice falconry like them for being aggressive, agile, and determined hunters. Some falconers used to think prairie falcons were hard to train. But others say that with the right training, they can be just as good as the peregrine falcon.
Smaller, more agile male prairie falcons are very good at catching small game birds like doves, quail, and small ducks. The larger, stronger females can reliably catch bigger game, like large ducks and even pheasants. Some prairie falcons will even try to catch larger game like geese or greater sage-grouse. However, hunting such large prey can be risky for the falcon, as they might get hurt. Sage-grouse, especially the males, can weigh as much as 8 lbs and are very strong. An inexperienced falcon can easily get injured hitting them in a high-speed dive. It takes a very skilled falcon to hit them forcefully but carefully in the head or wing to bring them down safely. For this difficult prey, experienced falconers often prefer larger female peregrines, gyrfalcons, or gyr-peregrine mixes. Still, some female prairie falcons do become masters at catching larger game.
Proper training for prairie falcons includes giving them plenty of food when they are young. This helps prevent them from screaming for food. They also need a lot of "manning," which means close contact and handling. Unlike peregrines, prairie falcons don't respond well to training with a swung lure, as missing it can make them impatient. To teach prairie falcons to fly high and "wait on" (stay above the falconer, ready to dive on game), falconers use a reward system. They flush game or release live birds like pigeons for the falcon to chase once the falcon is in the correct position, hundreds of feet above. The prairie falcon's eagerness to hunt means it needs to be patiently taught that when it waits in the right spot, the falconer will reliably flush game. As the falcon learns this, it becomes an effective hunting partner with the falconer.
Today, you can buy falcons that have been bred in captivity. This has reduced the need to catch falcons from the wild for falconry. Prairie falcons, along with peregrines and gyrfalcons, are now often available from captive breeding programs. Sometimes, prairie falcons are also bred with peregrine falcons or gyrfalcons. This creates a hybrid falcon that combines the prairie falcon's aggressiveness and heat tolerance with the peregrine's easier training and slightly greater strength, or the gyrfalcon's greater speed and much larger size.
Conservation and Status
The prairie falcon is listed as "least concern" by the IUCN Red List. This means its population is not currently at risk. It has a large range, and its numbers seem to be increasing. However, in some local areas like Texas, California, and Alberta, their numbers have gone down. This happens when grasslands are turned into farms, cities, or other human developments. Such changes can make it hard for the birds to find mates or suitable places to live.
Images for kids
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Prairie falcon - gyrfalcon hybrid at Avian Conservation Center, near Charleston, South Carolina, USA
See also
In Spanish: Halcón mexicano para niños
