Newsletter / Blog
2012-02-16 Amur Falcon - Falco amurensis
The Amur Falcon - Falco amurensis - is a small raptor that winters in Southern Africa
and breeds in south eastern Siberia and Northern China.
In its winter range, this species inhabits moist grasslands and open areas in
woodland. In Southern Africa, it occurs in
large flocks.
Description
Males are dark
sooty brown with a chestnut vent. They have white underwing coverts.
Females have grey
on the top of the head, barring on the lower belly, a red cere and feet.
Food
This species
searches for prey from telephone or electricity lines, or while hovering,
dropping to the ground, kestrel-fashion, to capture prey and return to the
perch to eat it. Its food consists mainly of insects - termite emergences,
locust swarms, and crop harboring beetles.
Breeding
They nest in
deserted or new nests of magpies, crows, and raptors in trees. Clutch size is
2-6 eggs, which are white with dense brown and reddish-brown markings. Females
perform the incubation duties, and the male captures and delivers prey to the
female and the nestlings. The nestling period is 27-29 days. During the
post-fledging period, the young and adults perch together on poles and trees in
open areas, where they hunt small voles and large insects.
Conservation Status – Least Concern
There is no clear
evidence for large-scale changes in its distribution and numbers in Africa, but the grassland regions it favors are under
severe pressure from agriculture and afforestation.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures to
create a customized tour for you to see these Falcons or join one of the Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures
scheduled tours: -
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari /
Adventure.
Aves KZN Birding
Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North East
Birding Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves North West Birding Tour
/ Safari / Adventure.
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