How to Identify aPrairie Falcon
Falco mexicanus · 14.6–18.5 in (37–47 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Sandy-brown above, whitish below with brown spotting, a narrow moustache stripe and dark axillaries under the wing. Sexes look alike.
Female
Identical in pattern but larger.
Male photo: peterwchen / Wikimedia, CC BY 4.0 · Second photo: DickDaniels (http://theworldbirds.org/) / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Field marks
- Dark patches in the wingpits, obvious from below
- Pale sandy-brown, not slate-gray, above
- Thin moustache mark, not a heavy helmet
- Pale line above and behind the eye
Similar species
What it sounds like
A loud, harsh, repeated "kik-kik-kik", higher than a Peregrine’s.
Behaviour that gives it away
Hunts by flying fast and very low along the contours of the ground, using terrain to stay hidden until the last moment.
Habitat & range
Prairie, sagebrush, desert and canyon country of the West.
When you'll see it
Present all year in western, central and southwestern North America.
What it eats
Ground squirrels, small birds and lizards.
Did you know?
It hunts by hugging the contours of the land at speed, appearing over a rise directly on top of its prey.
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