Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus Schlegel

 

 

 

Field Guide IDs:
NG-124; G-80; PE-162; PW-pl 17; AW-pl 320; AM(l)-264


Nest
Location
Nest
Type
Eggs &
Mating System
Dev. &
Parental Care
Primary &
2ndary Diet
..
Foraging
Strategy
F -M
I: 29-33 DAYS
SEMIALTRICIAL 2
30 feet - 40 feet
(20 feet - 400 feet)
CREVICE
4-5
(2-7)
MONOG
F: 35-42 DAYS
MF
SMALL
..... .....MAMMALS
INSECTS
LIZARDS
LOW
.....PATROL

BREEDING:

Open habitat in mountainous regions, shortgrass prairie, alpine tundra. 1 brood.

DISPLAYS:

Male performs aerial gymnastics, cutting parabolas and calling in front of perched female; she calls, occ joins flight. Male also struts on nesting ledge.

NEST:

On cliff ledge, occ in rock crevice, always facing open habitat. Usu unlined. Rarely use earthen bank.

EGGS:

White/pinkish-white, marked with browns. 2.1" (52 mm).

DIET:

Can overtake most birds directly, flushing ground dwellers by flying low, but also hovers and stoops for other prey.

CONSERVATION:

Winters s to Baja, n Mexico. Some eggshell thinning and mercury poisoning reported (accumulated esp from taking seed-eating Horned Lark). Declining in UT, w Canada, and agricultural CA.

NOTES:

Weak nest site tenacity. Clutches smaller in e portion of range. In nest defense, male circles above, female leaves nest only as last resort. Parental care of young continues after fledging. Female ca. 33% larger than male. With lighter wing loading, outflies Peregrine at high altitude.

STANFORD. NOTES:

Similar Species: Peregrine Falcon

ESSAYS:

Raptor Hunting; Size and Sex in Raptors; Conservation of Raptors; Wing Shapes; Metallic Poisons; Site Tenacity.

REFERENCES:

Allen et al., 1986; Cade, 1982; Enderson, 1964; Marti and Braun, 1975.

Except for Stanford Notes, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).