Prairie Falcon

Prairie Falcon, juvenile.

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1. Description
2. Sound
3. Conservation Status
4. Other Names
5. Cool Facts
6. Full detailed species account

A large falcon of the arid American West, the Prairie Falcon hunts medium-sized birds and mammals.

Description

Large falcon, medium-sized hawk. Pale brown back and markings. Whitish chest with brown spots and bars. Dark mustache mark on face. Dark ear patch. Long pointed wings. Dark patch in "armpits."

• Size: 37-47 cm (15-19 in)
• Wingspan: 90-113 cm (35-44 in)
• Weight: 420-1100 g (14.83-38.83 ounces)

Sex Differences

Sexes look alike, female larger.

Sound

Call a shrill, yelping "kik, kik, kik."

Conservation Status

Not as badly affected by pesticide era as Peregrine Falcon. May currently be increasing.

Other Names

Faucon des Prairies (French)
Halcon mexicano, Halcon Pradeño, Halcon café, Halcon palido (Spanish)

Cool Facts

• The Prairie Falcon often shares its nesting cliff with Common Ravens, Golden Eagles, and Red-tailed Hawks.

• The Prairie Falcon sometimes bathes in river shallows, but dust-bathing is probably more common than water-bathing, because of the general scarcity of standing water in its habitat.

Sources used to construct this page:

Steenhof, K. 1998. Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 346 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.