Falcon: Difference between revisions
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:''For other meanings, see [[falcon (disambiguation)]].'' |
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:''"Tiercel" redirects here: for other meanings, see [[tercel]].'' |
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{{Taxobox |
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| color = pink |
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| name = Falcons |
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| image = USAF falcon.jpg |
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| image_width = 250px |
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| image_caption = ''Yeti'', a [[hybrid]] white [[gyrfalcon]] × [[saker falcon]] |
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| regnum = [[Animal]]ia |
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| phylum = [[Chordata]] |
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| classis = [[Aves]] |
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| ordo = [[Falconiformes]] |
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| familia = [[Falconidae]] |
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| genus = '''''Falco''''' |
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| genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], [[1758]] |
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| subdivision_ranks = Species |
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| subdivision = |
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About 37; see text. |
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}} |
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A '''Falcon''' is any of several [[species]] of [[bird of prey|raptor]]s in the genus '''''Falco'''''. The word comes from [[Latin]] ''falco'', related to [[Latin]] ''falx'' ("[[sickle]]") because of the shape of these birds' wings. |
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==Overview== |
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Adult falcons have thin tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Younger falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers which makes their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a [[broadwing (bird of prey)|broadwing]]. This is to make it easier for them to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters in their adult configuration. |
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[[Peregrine Falcon]]s are the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. Other falcons include the [[Gyrfalcon]], [[Lanner Falcon]], and the [[Merlin (bird)|Merlin]]. Some small [[insectivorous]] falcons with long narrow wings are called [[hobby (bird)|hobbies]], and some which hover while hunting for small [[rodent]]s are called [[kestrel (bird)|kestrels]]. The falcons are part of the family [[Falconidae]], which also includes the [[caracara]]s, [[Laughing Falcon]], [[forest falcon]]s, and [[falconet]]s. |
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The traditional term for a male falcon is ''tercel'' ([[UK]] spelling) or ''tiercel'' ([[US]] spelling), from Latin ''tertius'' = [[3 (number)|third]] because of the belief that only one in three eggs hatched a male bird.[http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/tercel] |
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[http://www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange/Sections/DicSrchRsult.aspx?word=tercel] Some sources give the etymology as deriving from the fact that a male falcon is approximately one third smaller than the female. |
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A falcon chick, especially one reared for [[falconry]], that is still in its downy stage is known as an ''eyas''[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eyas][http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwords/data/d0005484.html] (sometimes spelt ''eyass''). The word arose by mistaken division of [[Old French]] ''un niais'', from [[Latin]] presumed *''nidiscus'' ("nestling", from ''nidus'' = [[nest]]). |
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The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of prey is known as [[falconry]]. |
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In February [[2005]] the [[Canada|Canadian]] [[scientist]] [[Dr Louis Lefebvre]] announced a method of measuring avian intelligence in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. The falcon and crow family scored highest on this scale <ref>[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/nsae-bit021605.php] AAAS Annual Meeting, 2005.</ref>. |
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==Systematics and evolution theory== |
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Compared to other birds of prey, the [[fossil]] record of the falcons is not well distributed in time. The oldest fossils tentatively assigned to this genus are from the Late [[Miocene]], less than 10 million years ago. This coincides with a period in which many modern genera of birds became recognizable in the fossil record. The falcon lineage - probably of [[North America]]n or [[Europe]]an, possibly of [[Africa]]n origin, given the distribution of fossil Falconidae is likely to be somewhat older however. |
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Falcons are roughly divisible into three groups. The first contains the kestrels (probably excepting the [[American Kestrel]]: Groombridge ''et al.'' 2002); usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upperside color and sometimes [[sexually dimorphic]]; three African species that are mainly grey in color stand apart from the typical members of this group. Kestrels feed chiefly on [[terrestrial]] [[vertebrate]]s and [[invertebrates]] of appropriate size, such as [[rodent]]s, [[reptile]]s, or insects. |
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The second group contains slightly larger (on average) and more elegant [[species]], the hobbies and relatives. These birds are characterized by considerable amounts of dark slaty grey in their plumage; the malar area is nearly always black. They feed mainly on smaller birds. |
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Last are the Peregrine Falcon and its relatives: powerful birds, often the size of small [[hawk]]s, they also have a black malar area (except some very light color [[morph (zoology)|morph]]s), and often a black cap also. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate between the other groups, being chiefly medium grey with some lighter or brownish colours on the upper side. They are on average more delicately patterned than the hobbies, and as opposed to the other groups, where tail colour is not indicative of [[evolution]]ary relationships<ref> |
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For example, tail colour in the Common and Lesser Kestrels is absolutely identical, yet they do not seem too closely related (Groombridge ''et al.'' 2002). On the other hand, the [[Fox Kestrel|Fox]] and [[Greater Kestrel]]s can be told apart at first glance by their tail colours, but not by much else; they might be very close relatives and are probably much closer to each other than the Lesser and Common Kestrels.</ref> |
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The tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark grey with rather inconspicuous black banding and small white tips. These largest ''Falco'' feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates, taking prey of up to 5-pound [[sage grouse]] size. |
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While these three groups, loosely circumscribed, are an informal arrangement, they are probably contain several distinct [[clade]]s in their entirety. A study of [[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] [[DNA sequence|sequence]] data of some kestrels (Groombridge ''et al.'' 2002) identified a clade containing the Common Kestrel and related "[[malar]]-striped" species, to the exclusion of such taxa as the Greater Kestrel (which lacks a malar strike), the Lesser Kestrel (which is very similar to the Common but also has no malar stripe), and the American Kestrel. The latter species has a malar stripe, but its color pattern - apart from the brownish back - and notably also the black feathers behind the ear, which never occur in the true kestrels, are more reminiscent of some hobbies. The malar-striped kestrels apparently split from their relatives in the [[Gelasian]], roughly 2.5-2 [[mya (unit)|mya]], and are apparently of tropical East African origin. |
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==Species in taxonomic order== |
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[[Image:Common Kestrel 1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Common Kestrel]]]] |
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[[Image:NZ Falcon 2006-01-14.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[New Zealand Falcon]], a relative of the hobbies]] |
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[[Image:Peregrine falcon x.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Peregrine Falcon]]]] |
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* [[Madagascar Kestrel]], ''Falco newtoni'' |
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* [[Seychelles Kestrel]], ''Falco araea'' |
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* [[Mauritius Kestrel]], ''Falco punctatus'' |
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* [[Réunion Kestrel]], ''Falco duboisi'' - [[extinct]] (c.[[1700]]) |
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* [[Spotted Kestrel]], ''Falco moluccensis'' |
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* [[Nankeen Kestrel]] or '''Australian Kestrel''', ''Falco cenchroides'' |
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* [[Common Kestrel]], ''Falco tinnunculus'' |
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** Rock Kestrel, ''Falco tinnunculus rupicolus'' |
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* [[Greater Kestrel]], ''Falco rupicoloides'' |
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* [[Fox Kestrel]], ''Falco alopex'' |
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* [[Lesser Kestrel]], ''Falco naumanni'' |
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* [[Grey Kestrel]], ''Falco ardosiaceus'' |
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* [[Dickinson's Kestrel]], ''Falco dickinsoni'' |
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* [[Banded Kestrel]], ''Falco zoniventris'' |
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* [[Red-necked Falcon]], ''Falco chicquera'' |
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* [[Red-footed Falcon]], ''Falco vespertinus'' |
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* [[Amur Falcon]], ''Falco amurensis'' |
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* [[Eleonora's Falcon]], ''Falco eleonorae'' |
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* [[Sooty Falcon]], ''Falco concolor'' |
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* [[Aplomado Falcon]], ''Falco femoralis'' |
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* [[American Kestrel]], ''Falco sparverius'' |
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* [[Merlin (bird)|Merlin Falcon]], ''Falco columbarius'' |
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* [[Bat Falcon]], ''Falco rufigularis'' |
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* [[Orange-breasted Falcon]], ''Falco deiroleucus'' |
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* [[Eurasian Hobby]], ''Falco subbuteo'' |
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* [[African Hobby]], ''Falco cuvierii'' |
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* [[Oriental Hobby]], ''Falco severus'' |
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* [[Australian Hobby]], ''Falco longipennis'' |
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* [[New Zealand Falcon]], ''Falco novaeseelandiae'' |
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* [[Brown Falcon]], ''Falco berigora'' |
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* [[Grey Falcon]], ''Falco hypoleucos'' |
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* [[Lanner Falcon]], ''Falco biarmicus'' |
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* [[Laggar Falcon]], ''Falco jugger'' |
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* [[Saker Falcon]], ''Falco cherrug'' |
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* [[Black Falcon]], ''Falco subniger'' |
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* [[Gyr Falcon]], ''Falco rusticolus'' |
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* [[Prairie Falcon]], ''Falco mexicanus'' |
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* [[Peregrine Falcon]], ''Falco peregrinus'' |
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** [[Barbary Falcon]], ''Falco (peregrinus) pelegrinoides'' |
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* [[Taita Falcon]], ''Falco fasciinucha'' |
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==References== |
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* '''Groombridge''', Jim J.; [[Carl Jones (biologist)|Jones, Carl G.]]; Bayes, Michelle K.; van Zyl, Anthony J.; Carrillo, José; Nichols, Richard A. & Bruford, Michael W. (2002): A molecular phylogeny of African kestrels with reference to divergence across the Indian Ocean. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''25'''(2): 267–277. <small>{{DOI|10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00254-3}}</small> (HTML abstract) |
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===Footnotes=== |
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<references/> |
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==External links== |
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{{commons|Falcon}} |
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*[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=32 Falconidae videos] on the Internet Bird Collection |
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*[http://www.raptorresource.org The Raptor Resource Project] Peregrine, owl, eagle and osprey cams, facts, and other resources. |
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*[http://www.billyformayor.com/falcon.mp3] Recording of a Falcon mating call. |
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[[Category:Falco|*]] |
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[[Category:Falcons|*]] |
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[[Category:Heraldic birds]] |
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[[Category:Falconry]] |
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[[bg:Сокол]] |
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[[ca:Falcó]] |
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[[ceb:Faucon]] |
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[[cs:Sokol (ptáci)]] |
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[[da:Falk]] |
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[[de:Falken]] |
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[[es:Falco]] |
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[[eo:Falko]] |
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[[fa:شاهین]] |
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[[fr:Faucon]] |
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[[io:Falkono]] |
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[[it:Falco]] |
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[[he:בז]] |
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[[ka:ბაზი (ფრინველი)]] |
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[[lt:Sakalai]] |
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[[no:Falker]] |
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[[pl:Sokoły]] |
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[[pt:Falcão]] |
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[[qu:Waman]] |
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[[ru:Соколы]] |
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[[simple:Falcon]] |
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[[fi:Haukat]] |
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[[sv:Egentliga falkar]] |
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[[vi:Chi Cắt]] |
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[[tr:Doğan (kuş)]] |
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[[uk:Сокіл]] |
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[[wa:Fåcon]] |
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[[zh:隼属]] |
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Revision as of 14:44, 4 May 2007
I Edit wiki