Australian Hobby

Australian Hobby
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Falconidae
Genus:	Falco
Species:	F. longipennis
Binomial name
Falco longipennis Swainson, 1837

Samsonvale Cemetery, SE Queensland

The Australian Hobby or Little Falcon (Falco longipennis) is a falcon found mainly in Australia. It is also a winter migrant to Indonesia and New Guinea. It is one of Australia's smallest raptors and is about 30–36 cm long.

It strongly resembles the Peregrine Falcon, however it is much smaller and has darker plumage.

It inhabits open woodlands where it manoeuvres swiftly through the foliage in chase of other birds. It is very adaptable and will visit urban parks and gardens, and remnant bushland. They will hunt small birds, up to nearly their own size, and are often seen at dusk hunting bats and large insects.

When breeding it takes over nests of other birds. The female incubates and broods young while the male hunts.

It gets its scientific name from its narrow long-flighted wings. This adaptable falcon often shadows the collared sparrow hawk in suburban terrain, benefitting from birds flushed out of dense foliage by the more agile hawk. Prey fleeing cover for the open where they can out fly the sparrowhawk is then taken in a stoop or stoop and chase by the faster falcon. Hobbies have been observed waiting on over sparrowhawk much like a trained falconer's bird would, much to the chagrin of the hawk who will regularly attack the falcon and pursue it in a sometimes spectacular aerial dogfight.

References

• BirdLife International (2004). Falco longipennis. 2006. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. IUCN 2006. www.iucnredlist.org. Retrieved on 12 May 2006. Database entry includes justification for why this species is of least concern