Grey Falcon
Silver Falcon ( Falco hypoleucos )
The Silver Falcon ( Falco hypoleucos ) is a rare, medium-sized bird of prey in the family of the Falk -like ( Falconidae ). It inhabits arid and semi-arid areas of Australia.
Description
Silver Hawks are medium-sized, stocky falcons. With a body length of 33 cm to 43 cm, they are slightly larger than the small kestrels and slightly smaller than the females of the peregrine falcon. Males have a wingspan of 75 to 85 cm, females from 95 to 100 cm. He has long, pointed wings, its beak is short and powerful and provided each with a distinct Falk tooth on each side. The Silver Hawk is colored gray for the most part at any age and with a fine dash, can only be seen up close. Its top is blue-gray, the underside whitish gray, throat and Untersteiß are white. The skull is slightly darker. The primaries are blackish, the feathers gray and finely banded with a broad, darker subterminal band and whitish tips.
The iris of the hawks is brown. In adult animals, the cere and bare skin around the eyes and the beak orange - yellow, in young animals, the cere and bare skin around the eyes are blue-gray. The legs of adult silver hawks are bright yellow, that of the young animals matter.
Dissemination
The Silver Hawk is widespread in arid and semi-arid parts of Australia, including the Murray -Darling Basin, the Lake Eyre basin, Central Australia and Western Australia. He mainly inhabited areas with an annual rainfall amounting to less than 500 mm. Immature birds seem to regularly draw outside the breeding season in North and in coastal areas. In Western Australia the silver falcon is south of 26 ° Latitude not before, in the state of Victoria, it is an extremely rare Irrgast.
Habitat and behavior
Silver Hawk live in semi- deserts, grass and scrub and trees on river banks. They occur in arid areas and sometimes in moist, open terrain at altitudes up to 1000 m.
Reproduction
Its nests are located at altitudes of 9-26 meters. However, he often takes over abandoned nests of other species ( eg of crows or birds of prey ) and plumps them with soft material. The clutch consists of 2-4 eggs. The incubation period is 35 days and the nestling period 41-52 days.
Nutrition
Silver hawks feed on birds, mainly pigeons and parrots, small mammals, lizards and large insects. Also carrion is eaten. Silver Hawks hunt in fast, low- flying or gliding from one stand hunting for food to prey on the ground.
Inventory and risk
The distribution area of the Silver Falcons is very large, the population density, however, very low. The population is estimated at less than 1,000 mature birds. Its habitat and its nesting sites are threatened by overgrazing and deforestation through the open woods. The availability of nesting sites, especially in the treeless inland, could be a limiting factor for the stock, especially where introduced grazing prevents the regeneration of trees. Its eggs are in demand of egg collectors. Eggs and young birds may be taken for falconry. The International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources ( IUCN) classified the species as endangered now back ( Vulnerable, VU) a.