Wildbird
HOME Bird name:

Aplomado Falcon

Falco femoralisOrder: FALCONIFORMESFamily: Falcons (Falconidae)

Breeding Location:

Desert, Savanna, Grasslands, Prairies, shortgrass



Breeding Type:

Monogamous



Breeding Population:

Casual to rare



Egg Color:

White to light pink with brown spots



Number of Eggs:

3 - 4



Incubation Days:

31 - 32



Egg Incubator:

Both sexes



Nest Material:

Sticks and twigs., Lined with bark shreds, hair, and feathers.



Migration:

Nonmigratory



Splitbar
BEYOND THE BACKYARD...
800+ BIRDS OF NORTH AMERICA
FORUMS - ID HELP - ARTICLES - FREE SOFTWARE - MUCH MORE
If you like the Project Wildbird ID Engine you may want to check out the WhatBird North America database - the gold standard of bird identification that Project Wildbird is based on.

Whatbird.com - a commercial web site - offers the same search capability for every bird in North America, including rare and vagrants, shorebirds, raptors, even extinct species. You'll find the same outstanding illustrations, bird calls, plus these features:

Browse Birds - view birds by location, shape, color, size, etc.

Bird Expert - guides you ID with simple questions

Forum - Visit our Identification Forum and get personal answers from our ornithologists David Lukas and Simone Whitecloud.

FORUMS - ID HELP - ARTICLES - FREE SOFTWARE - MUCH MORE

Overview

Aplomado Falcon: Medium falcon with slate-gray upperparts, plain white breast. White, moustache-striped face has pale eyebrows joining at back of head. Belly and legs are cinnamon-brown. Long tail banded with white and black (or gray) stripes. Swift, direct flight with deep wing beats, also hovers.

Range and Habitat

Aplomado Falcon: Once bred from southwestern U.S. to the southernmost portion of South America, but largely extirpated by the 1930's; now mostly seen across Mexican-American border. Preferred habitats include deserts, grasslands, prairie, and savanna.

Breeding and Nesting

Aplomado Falcon: Three to four heavily brown-spotted, white to light pink eggs are laid in a nest built in a tree or tall shrub; usually uses an abandoned or taken by force nest of other birds, such as Chihuahuan Ravens and Swainson's Hawks. Incubation ranges from 31 to 32 days and is carried out by both parents. Young fledge at 28 to 35 days.

Foraging and Feeding

Aplomado Falcon: Mainly eats small birds, but also feeds on insects, small mammals, and other vertebrates. Hunts cooperatively in pairs, with male typically flying above female.

Readily Eats

Vocalization

Aplomado Falcon: Utters a shrieking "keeh-keeh-keeh" and an abrasive, single-noted "keeh" or "kiih."

Similar Species

Aplomado Falcon: Prairie Falcon has brown upperparts, dark-streaked pale underparts, and white bar on pale wing lining.

.

Copyright © 2005 WBFI Research Foundation Bird database and its related content and media is Copyright (C) 2002 - 2005 Mitch Waite Group All rights reserved.

Family Falcon (Falconidae)_blue
Species Falco femoralis
Length15 - 18 Inches
Wingspan44 Inches

Aplomado Falcon

Aplomado Falcon: Medium falcon with slate-gray upperparts, plain white breast. White, moustache-striped face has pale eyebrows joining at back of head. Belly and legs are cinnamon-brown. Long tail banded with white and black (or gray) stripes. Swift, direct flight with deep wing beats, also hovers.

● Song: "keeh-keeh-keeh", "kiih"

● Foraging & Feeding: Aplomado Falcon: Mainly eats small birds, but also feeds on insects, small mammals, and other vertebrates. Hunts cooperatively in pairs, with male typically flying above female.

● Breeding & nesting: Aplomado Falcon: Three to four heavily brown-spotted, white to light pink eggs are laid in a nest built in a tree or tall shrub; usually uses an abandoned or taken by force nest of other birds, such as Chihuahuan Ravens and Swainson's Hawks. Incubation ranges from 31 to 32 days and is carried out by both parents. Young fledge at 28 to 35 days.

● Similar species: Aplomado Falcon: Prairie Falcon has brown upperparts, dark-streaked pale underparts, and white bar on pale wing lining.

Flight Pattern

Swift flight with deep wing beats.
Aplomado Falcon Body Illustration
● Range & Habitat: Aplomado Falcon: Once bred from southwestern U.S. to the southernmost portion of South America, but largely extirpated by the 1930's; now mostly seen across Mexican-American border. Preferred habitats include deserts, grasslands, prairie, and savanna.
BreedingMonogamous
PopulationCasual to rare
MigrationNonmigratory
Weight9.2 Ounces