Falcon
【Animal Profile】:
Falco cherrug: Falco cherrug is a species of falcon in the family Falconidae. body weight 680-1200 g; Body length 425-591 mm. Seasonal migratory birds, large birds of prey. It lives in inland steppe and hilly areas. Falcons that live in Russia migrate, while falcons in other regions are resident birds. It feeds mainly on birds and small animals. It is found in Central Europe, North Africa, northern India, Central Asia to Mongolia and northern China.
The falcon is the national bird of Hungary, the United Arab Emirates and Mongolia
【Morphological characteristics】:
The forehead and eyebrow stripes are white, and the top of the head, side of the neck and back of the neck are creamy white, slightly stained with light brown with black-brown markings. The rest of the upperparts are dark brown, with black-brown longitudinal stripes and regular cinnamon-yellow or brownish-yellow transverse spots and feathers, and the upper tail feathers on the waist are slightly pale; The tail feathers are dark brown with brownish-yellow transverse spots, and the outer tip of the tail feathers and the inner base of the feathers are creamy white; The wings are dark brown with black-brown tips; The outer feathers have few brownish-yellow spots or milky white tooth-like markings, and the base feather margin is creamy white; Secondary flight feathers dark brown with brownish-yellow spots or transverse spots; The upper wing feathers are dark brown , the margins are pale brownish yellow, and the large overfeathers and the medial middle feathers have brownish-yellow transverse spots.
The underparts are white, slightly yellow, with dark brown feathers on the thorax and abdomen, and dark brown drop-like and sagittal spots at the tips; The upper outer half of the two flanks and covered feathers have broad dark brown transverse spots, and the inner and outer lower half of the covered leg feathers are creamy white with sparse dark brown longitudinal stripes; The undertail feathers are also creamy white with dark brown longitudinal stripes; The underwing feathers and axillary feathers are yellow with dark brown markings.
Juveniles are similar to adults , but with thicker longitudinal stripes on the top of the head and narrow milky white margins. The upper body is also darker , with only pale feathers and no transverse spots. The underparts are also slightly darker , with slender dark brown longitudinal stripes on the throat. The underwing feathers and axillary feathers are creamy white with broad dark brown longitudinal stripes.
The iris is dark brown, the mouth is lead-grey, the tip is black, the base is yellow-green, the wax membrane is dark yellow, the feet and toes are yellow-green, the claws are black, and the iris, feet and toes of young birds are blue-gray.
Size measures: body weight ♂680-890 g, ♀970-1200 g; body length ♂425-580 mm, ♀520-591 mm; ♂Beak 20–22 mm, 24.2–26.5 mm, fins ♂348–380 mm, 378–412 mm, tail 232–240 mm, 245–258 mm, tarsal ♂55–55.5 mm, ♀♀♀♂♀59.5–60.5 mm. (Note: ♂ males; ♀ Female)
【Habitat】:
It mainly lives in inland steppe and hilly areas, inhabiting mountainous open areas, river valleys, deserts and meadows. It is often found in moist forests, forests and semi-desert steppes, as well as open plains, which favors their predation patterns. Falcons can occupy mountain slopes at altitudes of up to 4700 meters. It is found in wilderness and rocky hilly areas with no forest or few trees. [7] [8]
【Distribution range】:
Non-breeding sites: Azerbaijan, Kenya, Qatar, South Sudan and Tanzania.
Birds: Algeria, Belarus, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Latvia, Libya, Lithuania, Malta, Morocco, North Macedonia, Palestine, Poland, Spain and Tunisia.
Resident birds: Afghanistan, Armenia, Austria, Bahrain, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Chad, China, Croatia, Czech Republic, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Georgia, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Mali, Mauritania, Moldova, Mongolia, Montenegro, Nepal, Niger, Oman, Pakistan, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Serbia, Slovakia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, UAE, Uzbekistan and Yemen.
Extinction: Turkmenistan.
Wander: Albania, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burundi, Cameroon, Denmark, Djibouti, Finland, South Korea, Portugal, Senegal, Sweden and Uganda. [9]
China: Falcons are uncommon in China. The northern subspecies (known as the Altai falcon) breeds in the Altai Mountains and Kashgar region of Xinjiang, Tibet, Qinghai, northern Sichuan, Gansu, Inner Mongolia and Hulunchi; There are records through Liaoning and Hebei; It winters in central and southern Tibet
【Breeding method】:
The breeding period is from April to June, and the breeding selection environment is low trees in meadows, gaps in cliffs, earthen mountains and even artificial facilities such as power pole towers, and sometimes they also choose old nests of birds or use artificial nest boxes to breed. The nest is made of dead branches, etc., and is lined with animal feathers, feathers, etc. Each clutch lays 3-5 eggs, occasionally 6, the eggs are 54 mm × 40 mm in size and ochre-yellow or reddish-brown in color. The female undertakes all the brooding of the eggs, which are incubated for 28-30 days. Chicks are late adults, leaving the nest within 40-50 days, but still rely on adults for 40 days to live fully independently.
【Protection Level】:
Listed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (IUCN) 2021 ver3.1 - Endangered (EN).
Listed in Appendices I, II and III of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) 2019 Appendix II.
It was listed in the list of wild animals under national key protection (February 5, 2021).