The traveling falcon | Facts & Information

Origin

The traveling Falcon is among the most widespread birds of prey; it lives on almost every continent except the oceanic islands and Antarctica. It is also one of the most widely distributed birds and shows considerable variation in size and colour within its wide range, with 19 known subspecies.

This winged predator is strong and agile. The traveling Falcon has a record flight capacity and can descend on the Prey at 320 km/h. it can chase its prey at speeds of 112 km/h. during the flight it has an average speed of 40-55 km/h. high flight endurance is demonstrated by its migration, during which some birds travel more than 25,000 kilometers.

Food Hawk traveler

It feeds mainly on birds, but also on mammals such as bats, rabbits or rodents and occasionally on insects, reptiles and fish.

Although they hunt a wide variety of birds, from the largest to those of the size of a small goose, traveling Hawks are usually specialized on certain species, especially on portumbei.

Prey is usually captured from the air, although it can also hunt at ground level or in water. The traveling Falcon is fast and agile in flight and follows its prey at high speed to exhaust it or attack it through a steep, spectacular dive.

The dead or injured victim can then be caught in the fall, chased to the ground or overtaken and rolled into the air from the bottom up. Pairs often hunt cooperatively, although females target larger prey.

Extra prey can be stored, especially during mating season.

Features Falcon traveler

Rather large and stocky, with sharp and relatively short wings and a square tail, the traveling Falcon usually has gray-blue plumage on the upper parts and on the head and shows whitish, reddish or brown shades on the lower parts, in the form of spots and Stripes, variable in number.

The parts under the wings and tail are also striped, and the neck and pale cheeks contrast with a wide and dark stripe, like a mustache.

The skin on the face and legs is yellow to Orange, and the beak is blue, with a shade of yellow at the base and black at the tip.

It has a length of 38 cm and a wingspan of 101 cm. The female is about 20% larger than the male and usually has more obvious markings on the lower body.

Young specimens differ from adults by the more brownish plumage and by the body covered with markings in the form of circles rather than stripes on the lower parts, by the gray-blue or green color of the legs and the skin of the face.

The peregrine falcon emits a multitude of calls, including a loud, persistent and harsh chirp, used against intruders.

Breeding Hawk traveler

During the mating season, the traveling Falcon makes its nest on the rocks coming out of the sea, on the faces of the rocks or in the stone quarries. If he lives in the city, he will choose a high-rise building, on which he makes his nest.

The next year he returns to the same place for mating. The acrobatic manoeuvres, high dives and spirals he makes in the air are part of the courtship ritual and are an amazing sight.

The female lays between two and five eggs, reddish-brown with dark dots. Both male and female participate in the hatching of eggs, which lasts 29-32 days.

After the chicks hatch, the female stays in the nest to protect them and the male hunts. After 35-42 days, the chicks leave the nest, but do not move away until they have perfected their flying and hunting style.

The traveling Falcon has been endangered due to pesticides, egg gatherers and persecution by landowners.

Fortunately, the crisis was avoided through the pesticide protection and control program and the mating program, through which the Hawks could be released into the wild.

Mating season varies in location and may depend on weather conditions and food availability. The mating ritual involves aerial performances and the emission of specific sounds. The nest consists of a simple scrape on a rock or building, in the crown of trees or even on the ground.

Pairs can sometimes take over the abandoned nests of other bird species. The traveling Falcon becomes capable of breeding at the age of 2 years and can live for 20 years in the wild.