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Compared to our last quiz, this should be a relatively easy
one and we can only hope that someday these three species will
all be photographable again in Arizona.
The lethal hooks on these beaks tell us these are
raptors, and the dramatic head markings along with the
large-headed, short-necked jizz and knowing all are in the
same family should lead us immediately to the falcons.
The family name, falcon, comes to us from the Latin falx,
meaning falcated--sickle or scythe shaped.
Different sources variously cite the shape of the
wings, the beak, or the talons for this derivation, though if
you are a White-throated Swift or a ptarmigan about to be met
by stooping death any such distinction is probably moot. That falcated beak is not only toothed, but also notched, all
the better to sever the spinal column of luckless vertebrate
prey.
A)Good
photo, easy bird
On a perched bird, at a reasonable distance such as this,
the black hood, or helmet, which covers almost the entire head
and face of this falcon is unmistakable.
The light neck and breast set off by the horizontal
streaking on the belly and flanks completes this portrait of
everybirder's iconic raptor, the Peregrine Falcon.
Three forms of Peregrine are seen in the U.S., differing in
the extent of the hood and the darkness of the plumage.
The anatum
subspecies, or continental form, is characterized by a very
wide mustache mark and very small white auricular patch and
typically has an unstreaked breast and a rufous wash on the
underparts. The tundra form is generally a paler bird with a
much narrower mustache and much larger cheek patch. The Pacific Northwest form, Peale's, is the darkest of the
three, both cheek patch and breast strongly streaked.
Our quiz bird is an anatum
Peregrine, photographed in December, 2000 near Port Isabel,
Texas.
The wing rhythm of falcons in flight has often been
described as "rowing".
Peregrines in flight appear extremely long-winged and
long-tailed, with a crossbow shape, the bright white of the
upper breast usually very distinct.
Their wingbeat is shallow, but very fluid, the beat
itself emanating from the shoulder and rippling down the
entire length of the wing.
Typically Peregrines are observed relatively high in
the sky and appear to be reconnoitering for prey.
Whether because of its remarkable and well documented
comeback from the edge of DDT induced extinction, its romantic
niche in the history of the Middle Ages when only lords were
allowed to fly it, or its legendary flight speed and feats of
aerial capture, the Peregrine enjoys higher reverence among
birders and higher name recognition among non-birders than any
of our other raptors.
Once while trying to photograph White-throated Swifts
feeding on flying insects along a cliff face, I witnessed a
Peregrine strike. Swifts
are so named for good reason, but these appeared to be
loitering before the streaking blur of the stooping falcon.
A puff of feathers marked the initial hit, the
Peregrine rolled and let gravity settle its meal into upturned
talons, then rolled aright and rowed effortlessly to a ledge
to eat. Unbelievable.
Unforgettable.
B)--Good
photo, difficult pair
The identification of this very distinctly marked falcon is
difficult only because most of us have never seen one, it has
been extirpated from Arizona for at least half a century, and
it just doesn't cross our consciousness when we see a falcon
beating toward us. With the reintroduction of this species in south Texas,
particularly on Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge and
surrounding private ranches, all that is changing.
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At first glance the relatively thin mustache mark and large
white cheek patch may suggest a tundra Peregrine, but the only
falcon with this black belly band and white superciliary
stripes is an Aplomado, formerly common and widespread across
the yucca and cactus brushlands of our southwest.
Prior to releases in south Texas. the most recent U.S.
breeding record was in New Mexico in 1952, and only occasional
strays from northern Mexico have been seen since then.
This bird, showing off its large leather leg bands, was
photographed near Los Fresnos, Texas in December, 2000, and is
one of many Aplomados released and now nesting in the area. Loss of habitat rather than pesticide poisoning is thought to
be the cause of this species' decline.
Aplomados are larger than American Kestrel and Merlin,
nearly the size of Peregrines and Prairie Falcons.
Sexes are similar, though females are larger and the
male's belly band is often streaked with white.
The rufous wash of belly and leggings is often quite
bright.
Mated pairs of Aplomados remain together year round, often
hunting and perching in tandem.
Birds are the primary prey, but rodents and reptiles
are readily taken. Aplomados
hunt from an exposed perch, but will also chase prey afoot and
hover, kestrel-style. Hopefully, with the success of reintroduction programs, it
may not be too many years before this elegant, colorful, and
distinctively marked falcon once again graces our states'
southern grasslands.
C)Bad
photo, easy
pair
Here's another falcon, in soft focus because it was
photographed at a much greater distance than the previous two,
with a white eyebrow, light cheek, and thin mustache.
It is lighter overall than the bird in our first photo,
and might well pass as an immature tundra Peregrine which
often has a light crown and forehead and appears quite
different than any other Peregrine plumage.
Other obvious candidates are Merlin and Prairie Falcon.
It would be much easier if this bird were a flyover.
Let's eliminate immature tundra Peregrine, despite its
similarities, because our quiz bird is spotted rather than
heavily streaked and does show a dark ear patch rather than a
completely light cheek. Eliminating
Merlin, a much smaller bird than Prairie Falcon, is more
problematical on a distant bird where relative size may be
harder to discern. Like
the Peregrine, Merlins have three rather distinct plumages.
Black Merlin, the darkest form, does not have a white
eyeline nor this light a cheek.
Taiga and prairie Merlins are lighter overall and may
show a light superciliary, but the mustache stripe of the
former is typically not this distinct, and the latter does not
show this field mark at all.
Additionally, Merlins have denser, more unbroken rows
of vertical ventral streaking than our bird.
This Prairie Falcon was photographed in December, 2000 on
the Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge in Texas. In flight the dark "armpit," black spotting and
barring on the underwing coverts contrasting with the rest of
the light underwing, is the sure way to distinguish Prairies
from Peregrines and the smaller falcons. Prairies in flight
appear long-winged and long-tailed like Peregrines, but being
slimmer look more tube-shaped, and the wingbeat seems to
emanate from the wrist rather than the shoulder, giving the
flight a stiffer, more mechanical rhythm than the Peregrine's
fluid strokes. Prairies
are typically seen lower in the sky than Peregrines, seeming
to use the contours of the land to hide their approach, and
consequently they always appear to be going someplace rather
than just reconnoitering.
Next time you're in the San Rafael Grasslands of southern
Arizona and see a falcon coming, expect a Prairie, hope for a
Peregrine, but don't forget Aplomado is possible.
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