Falco mexicanus
Although it is most commonly encountered on the Great Plains, the Prairie Falcon is the most abundant large falcon in the Rockies, where it hunts in open country during migration in late summer and fall. During their time in the Rockies, Prairie Falcons often concentrate around ground squirrel colonies in summer and around flocks of migrating songbirds in fall, when they routinely hunt in alpine meadows. When young falcons first learn to fly, they tend to make many crash landings. Equipped for speed, their training flights are similar to sitting a 12-year-old child in the cockpit of a fighter jet and letting him or her fly the plane. |
I.D.: Sexes similar: medium-sized; brown upperparts; light face with 2 dark brown, narrow facial stripes; underparts are white with brown spotting. In flight: black 'wing pits'; pointed wings; long, narrow, banded tail; quick wing beats. Size: Male: L 14-15 in. (36-38 cm); W 37-39 in. (94-99 cm). Female: L 17-18 in. (43-46 cm); W 41-43 in. (104-109 cm). Range: uncommon winter resident in the southern U.S. Rockies; locally uncommon summer visitor breeder in the central U.S. Rockies; uncommon late summer to fall transient through the Canadian front ranges. Habitat: In migration: open, treeless country, such as alpine meadows, open fields, grasslands and sagebrush flats, in the montane and the subalpine. Breeding: river canyons and valleys in the foothills. Nesting: typically on the Great Plains; on cliff ledges or crevices; sometimes in trees; rarely in abandoned nests of other raptors or crows; usually without nesting material. Feeding: high-speed strike and kill by diving swoops; eats ground squirrels, chipmunks, waterfowl, grouse, songbirds, pigeons, shorebirds and other small vertebrates. Voice: alarm call is a rapid, shrill kik-kik-kik-kik. Similar Species: Peregrine Falcon: lacks the dark 'wing pits' and the narrow mustache; dark hood. Gyrfalcon: much larger; lacks the dark 'wing pits.' Merlin: much smaller; light 'wing pits.' Swainson's Hawk: fan-like tail; rounded wings in flight; lacks the dark 'wing pits.' |
