Brown falcon
| Brown falcon | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| At Alice Springs, Northern Territory, Australia | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Aves |
| Order: | Falconiformes |
| Family: | Falconidae |
| Genus: | Falco |
| Species: | F. berigora |
| Binomial name | |
|
Falco berigora Vigors & Horsfield, 1827 |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Asturaetus furcillatus De Vis, 1906 |
|
Asturaetus furcillatus De Vis, 1906
Plioaetus furcillatus (De Vis, 1906)
The brown falcon (Falco berigora) is a relatively large falcon native to Australia and New Guinea.
A number of plumage morphs exist, with the primary distinction being between the pale morph and the dark morph. Both morphs usually have dark brown upperparts and wing coverts. Dark morph birds have predominantly dark underparts, although some light streaking is common. Pale morph birds have white underparts that are varyingly streaked with brown, sometimes heavily so. Pale individuals may also have prominently white undertail coverts and these may be diagnostic.
The species name berigora has Aboriginal origins.
Adults are usually 40 to 50 cm (16 to 20 in) long. They are found in light and dark forms and a variety of intermediates. Animals typically have red-brown heads with narrow black streaks with a light crown and off-white chin. Wings are a spotted red-brown with dark brown quills. Beaks are light blue/grey; eyes are brown. The falcons make a loud cackle call uttered frequently.
Brown falcons breed from June to November, usually in an old nest of another hawk species; they occasionally nest in hollow limbs of trees. The brown falcon lays between two and five eggs that have red and brown spots and blotches.
The brown falcon eats small mammals, including house mice and young rabbits. It also eats small birds, lizards, snakes, and a variety of invertebrates, particularly caterpillars, grasshoppers, crickets, and beetles. Insects form the bulk of the animals' diets during winter and the falcons often chase the insects on the ground.
John Gould illustration
Brown falcon portrait
Brown falcon
In flight in Victoria, Australia
Video of wild-bird attending prey, Pikedale, S. Queensland
Adult, pale morph, Tasmania
Adult (pale morph) takes flight, Tasmania
...
Wikipedia