Falcons
Brown Falcon Falco berigora
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Aves Order: Falconiformes Family: Falconidae Genus: Falco Linnaeus, 1758
Species
About 37; see text. The Brown Falcon, Falco berigora, is a member of the Falcon Genus found in the drier regions of Australia Chordates ( Phylum Chordata) are a group of Animals that includes the Vertebrates together with several closely related Invertebrates Birds ( class Aves) are bipedal endothermic ( Warm-blooded) Vertebrate animals that lay eggs. The order Falconiformes is a group of about 290 Species of Birds that include the diurnal birds of prey. The falcons and caracaras are around 60 Species of diurnal birds of prey that comprise the family Falconidae. Carl Linnaeus (Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as, May 23 new style (13 May old style 1707 who laid the foundations for
Synonyms
Aesalon Lithofalco Tinnunculus Linnaeus, 1766 Hierofalco Cuvier, 1817 Cerchneis Boie, 1826 Hypotriorchis Boie, 1826 Rhynchodon Nitzsch, 1829 Ieracidea Gould, 1838 Hieracidea Strickland, 1841 (unjustified emendation) Gennaia Kaup, 1847 Jerafalco Kaup, 1850 (unjustified emendation) Harpe Bonaparte, 1855 (non Lacepède 1802: preoccupied) Dissodectes Sclater, 1864 Genaïe Heuglin, 1867 (unjustified emendation) Harpa Sharpe, 1874 (non Pallas 1774: preoccupied) Gennadas Heine & Reichenow, 1890 (unjustified emendation) Nesierax Oberholser, 1899 Nesihierax Dubois, 1902 (unjustified emendation) Asturaetus De Vis, 1906 (non Asturaetos Brehm 1855: preoccupied) Plioaetus Richmond, 1908 Sushkinia Tugarinov, 1935 (non Martynov 1930: preoccupied) - see below

A falcon (fɔlkən or fælkən) is any species of raptor in the genus Falco. In Scientific nomenclature, synonyms are different Scientific names used for a single Taxon. Frédéric Cuvier ( June 28, 1773 &ndash July 24, 1838) was a French Zoologist. John Gould ( 14 September 1804 – 3 February 1881) was an English Ornithologist. Hugh Edwin Strickland ( March 2, 1811 - September 14, 1853) was an English Geologist, ornithologist and Johann Jakob Kaup ( April 10, 1803 - July 4, 1873) was a German naturalist Johann Jakob Kaup ( April 10, 1803 - July 4, 1873) was a German naturalist Bodianus is a Genus of Wrasses in the family Labridae. Species Lyretail hogfish, Philip Lutley Sclater ( November 4, 1829 - June 27, 1913) was an English Lawyer and Zoologist. Martin Theodor von Heuglin ( March 20, 1824 &ndash November 5, 1876) was a German explorer and Ornithologist Richard Bowdler Sharpe ( 22 November 1847 - 25 December 1909) was an English Zoologist. Anton Reichenow (1847 - 1941 was a German Ornithologist. Reichenow was the son-in-law of Jean Cabanis, and worked at the Humboldt Museum Harry Church Oberholser ( June 25, 1870 - December 25, 1963) was an American Ornithologist. Charles Walter De Vis ( Birmingham, England, May 9 1829 &mdash Brisbane, Queensland, Australia, April 30 Charles Wallace Richmond ( December 31, 1868 - May 19, 1932) was an American Ornithologist. In Biology, a species is one of the basic units of Biological classification and a Taxonomic rank. Birds of prey are Birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing using their keen senses especially vision A genus (plural genera from Γένος Latin genus "descent family type gender" is a low-level Taxonomic The word comes from their Latin name falco, related to Latin falx ("sickle") because of the shape of these birds' wings. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. This article is about a type of ancient weapon The word falx is also used in a variety of anatomical contexts to describe scythe-shaped structures including the Falx cerebri A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay.

Contents 1 Overview 2 Systematics and evolution 2.1 Species 2.2 Fossil record 3 Footnotes 4 References 5 External links

Overview

Adult falcons have thin tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Fledgling 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. Flight feathers are the long stiff asymmetrically shaped but symmetrically paired Feathers on the Wings or Tail of a Bird; those on the " Broadwing " is a falconer 's term for a Bird of prey of the Buzzard or Eagle type with long wings with long Flight feathers This is to make it easier for them to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters in their adult configuration. A falcon's wings are shaped like a scythe. For the ancient Sicilian tyrant see Scythes. A scythe (ˈsaɪð from Old English siðe. Although common misconceptions of the difference of a scythe and sickle are the cause of the misconception of the shape of the falcons wings. For the ancient Sicilian tyrant see Scythes. A scythe (ˈsaɪð from Old English siðe. A sickle is a hand-held Agricultural Tool with a curved Blade typically used for harvesting grain crop or cutting grass for Hay.

Peregrine Falcons are the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. The Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus) also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America is a Other falcons include the Gyrfalcon, Lanner Falcon, and the Merlin. The Gyrfalcon ˈdʒɜrˌfɔlkən or ˈdʒɜrˌfælkən ( Falco rusticolus) also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest The Lanner Falcon ( Falco biarmicus) is a large Bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia The Merlin ( Falco columbarius) is a smallish Falcon that breeds in northern North America, Europe and Asia. Some small insectivorous falcons with long narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which hover while hunting for small rodents are called kestrels. An insectivore is a type of carnivore with a diet that consists chiefly of Insects and similar small creatures A hobby is a fairly small very swift Falcon with long narrow wings Rodentia is an order of Mammals also known as rodents, characterised by two continuously-growing incisors in the upper and lower jaws which must The name kestrel is given to several different members of the Falcon genus Falco. The falcons are part of the family Falconidae, which also includes the caracaras, Laughing Falcon, forest falcons, and falconets. The falcons and caracaras are around 60 Species of diurnal birds of prey that comprise the family Falconidae. Caracaras are birds of prey in the family Falconidae They are principally birds of South and Central America, just reaching the southern USA The Laughing Falcon, Herpetotheres cachinnans, also called the Snake Hawk, is a medium-sized Bird of prey in the falcon family, the only member Forest falcons are members of the Genus Micrastur, part of the family Falconidae.

The traditional term for a male falcon is tercel (UK spelling) or tiercel (US spelling), from Latin tertius = third because of the belief that only one in three eggs hatched a male bird. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located The United States of America —commonly referred to as the ---- In mathematics Three is the first odd Prime number, and the second smallest prime [3] [4] Some sources give the etymology as deriving from the fact that a male falcon is approximately one third smaller than the female.

A falcon chick, especially one reared for falconry, that is still in its downy stage is known as an eyas[5][6] (sometimes spelt eyass). Falconry or hawking is an Art or Sport which involves the use of trained raptors (birds of prey to hunt or pursue game for humans The word arose by mistaken division of Old French un niais, from Latin presumed *nidiscus ("nestling", from nidus = nest). Old French was the Romance Dialect continuum spoken in territories which span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium A nest is a place of refuge to hold an animal's eggs and/or provide a place to raise their offspring The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of prey is known as falconry. Falconry or hawking is an Art or Sport which involves the use of trained raptors (birds of prey to hunt or pursue game for humans

As is the case with many birds of prey, falcons are renowned for their exceptional powers of vision; one species has been found to have a visual acuity of 2. 6 times that of a normal human. ^[1]

In February 2005, the Canadian ornithologist Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian intelligence in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Ornithology (from Greek ὄρνις ὄρνιθος ornis, ornithos, "bird" and λόγος logos, "knowledge" is the branch of The falcon and crow family scored highest on this scale. ^[2]

Systematics and evolution

Compared to other birds of prey, the fossil record of the falcons is not well distributed in time. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. The oldest fossils tentatively assigned to this genus are from the Late Miocene, less than 10 million years ago. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 This coincides with a period in which many modern genera of birds became recognizable in the fossil record. The falcon lineage may however be somewhat older than this and given the distribution of fossil and living Falco taxa is probably of North American, African or possibly Middle Eastern or European in origin. A taxon (plural taxa) or taxonomic unit, is a name designating an organism or a group of Organisms In Biological nomenclature according to The Middle East is a Subcontinent with no clear boundaries often used as a synonym to Near East, in opposition to Far East.

Falcons are roughly divisible into three or four groups. The first contains the kestrels (probably excepting the American Kestrel^[3]); usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upperside color and sometimes sexually dimorphic; three African species that are generally grey in color stand apart from the typical members of this group. The name kestrel is given to several different members of the Falcon genus Falco. The American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius) is a small Falcon. This bird was (and sometimes still is colloquially known in North America as Sexual dimorphism is the systematic difference in form between individuals of different Sex in the same Species. Kestrels feed chiefly on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of appropriate size, such as rodents, reptiles, or insects. Terrestrial animals are Animals that live predominantly or entirely on land as compared with Aquatic animals which live predominantly or entirely in the water (e Vertebrates are members of the Subphylum Vertebrata, Chordates with backbones or spinal columns The grouping sometimes includes An invertebrate is an Animal lacking a Vertebral column. The group includes 98% of all animal Species — all animals except those in the Chordate Reptiles, or members of the class Reptilia are air-breathing Cold-blooded Vertebrates that have skin covered in scales as opposed to hair or feathers

The second group contains slightly larger (on average) and more elegant species, the hobbies and relatives. A hobby is a fairly small very swift Falcon with long narrow wings 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.

Third are the Falcon and its relatives: powerful birds, often the size of small hawks, they also have a black malar area (except some very light color morphs), and often a black cap also. The term hawk can be used in several ways In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the Species in the Subfamily Polymorphism in biology occurs when two or more clearly different Phenotypes exist in the same population of a species — in other words the occurrence of more than one 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 if the hierofalcons are excluded (see below), this group contains typically species with horizontal barring on the underside. As opposed to the other groups, where tail colour varies much in general but little according to evolutionary relatedness^[4], the tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark grey with rather inconspicuous black banding and small white tips, though this is probably plesiomorphic. eVolution is the third Album by eLDee, it was due to be released in 2008 Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry These large Falco feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates, taking prey of up to 5-pound sage grouse size. The sage-grouse are the Species in the Bird Genus Centrocercus.

Very similar to these and sometimes included therein are the 4 or so species of hierofalcons (literally, "hawk-falcons"). The hierofalcons (literally "hawk-falcons" are four closely related species of Falcon which make up the Subgenus Hierofalco: They represent taxa with usually more phaeomelanins which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of hawks. Melanin is a class of compounds found in the Plant, Animal and Protista kingdoms, where it serves predominantly as a Pigment. The term hawk can be used in several ways In strict usage in Europe and Asia, to mean any of the Species in the Subfamily Notably, their undersides have a lengthwise pattern of blotches, lines or arrowhead marks.

While these three or four groups, loosely circumscribed, are an informal arrangement, they probably contain several distinct clades in their entirety. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor A study of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data of some kestrels (Groombridge et al. Mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) is the DNA located in Organelles called mitochondria. Cytochrome b/b6 is main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes A DNA sequence or genetic sequence is a succession of letters representing the Primary structure of a real or hypothetical DNA Molecule 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 stripe), 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. The Gelasian is a stage whose belonging to either the Pliocene or the Pleistocene Epochs is currently discussed 5-2 mya, and are apparently of tropical East African origin. In Astronomy, Geology, and Paleontology, mya or " mya " is an abbreviation for "million years ago". The entire "true kestrel" group - excluding the American species - is probably a distinct and quite young clade, as also suggested by their numerous apomorphies. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor Cladistics is the hierarchical classification of Species based on evolutionary ancestry

Other studies^[5] have confirmed that the hierofalcons are a monophyletic group - and, incidentally, that hybridization is quite frequent at least in the larger species falcon species. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor Initial studies of mtDNA cytochrome b sequence data suggested that the hierofalcons are basal among living falcons^[6]. Mitochondrial DNA ( mtDNA) is the DNA located in Organelles called mitochondria. Cytochrome b/b6 is main subunit of transmembrane cytochrome bc1 and b6f complexes In Phylogenetics, a basal Clade is the earliest clade to branch in a larger clade it appears at the base of a cladogram This is now known to be an erroneous result due to the presence of a numt (Wink & Sauer-Gürth 2000); in reality the hierofalcons are a rather young group, originating maybe at the same time as the start of the main kestrel radiaton, about 2 million years ago. Numt (pronounced “new might” is an abbreviated term for “nuclear mitochondrial DNA” which describes any transfer or “transposition” of cytoplasmic mitochondrial DNA sequences This lineage seems to have gone nearly extinct at some point in the past; the present diversity is of very recent origin, though little is known about their fossil history (Nittinger et al. 2005, Johnson et al. 2007).

The phylogeny and delimitations of the Peregrine and hobbies groups is more problematic. Molecular studies have only been conducted on a few species, and namely the morphologically ambiguous taxa have often been little researched. The morphology of the syrinx, which contributes well to resolving the overall phylogeny of the Falconidae^[7], is not very informative in the present genus. The term morphology in Biology refers to the outward appearance ( Shape, Structure, Colour, Pattern) of an Organism In classical mythology Syrinx ( Greek Συριγξ was a Nymph and a follower of Artemis, known for her chastity The falcons and caracaras are around 60 Species of diurnal birds of prey that comprise the family Falconidae. Nonetheless, a core group containing the Peregrine and Barbary falcons which in turn group with the hierofalcons and the more distant Prairie Falcon (which was sometimes placed with the hierofalcons, even though it is entirely distinct biogeographically), as well as at least most of the "typical" hobbies, are confirmed to be monophyletic as suspected^[8]. Biogeography is the study of the distribution of Biodiversity over Space and Time. A clade is a taxonomic group comprising a single Common ancestor and all the descendants of that ancestor

Given that the American Falcos of today belong to the Peregrine group or are apparently more basal species, it seems that the initially most successful evolutionary radiation was an Holarctic one that originated possibly around central Eurasia or in (northern) Africa. An evolutionary radiation is an increase in taxonomic diversity or morphological disparity due to adaptive change or the opening of ecospace The Holarctic Ecozone refers to the habitats found throughout the northern continents of the world as a whole One or several lineages were present in North America by the Early Pliocene at latest. In the Geologic time scale, the Zanclean (also known as Tabianian, Dacian) is the Age which makes up the Early Pliocene

In conclusion, the origin of today's major Falco groups - the "typical" hobbies and kestrels for example, or the Peregine-hierofalcon complex, or the Aplomado Falcon lineage - can be quite confidently placed from the Miocene-Pliocene boundary through the Zanclean and Piacenzian and just into the Gelasian, that is from about 8 to 2. The Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene period and extends from about 23 The Pliocene epoch (spelled Pleiocene in some older texts is the period in the Geologic timescale that extends In the Geologic time scale, the Zanclean (also known as Tabianian, Dacian) is the Age which makes up the Early Pliocene Piacenzian (also known as Astian, Redonian, or Romanian) is a Age of the Pliocene Epoch. 4 million years ago, when the malar-striped kestrels diversified. Some groups of falcons, such as the hierofalcon complex or the Peregrine-Barbary superspecies have only evolved in more recent times; the species of the former seem to be a mere 120. 000 years old or so (Nittinger et al. 2005).

Species

The sequence follows the taxonomic order of White et al. In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. The Common Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus) is a Bird of prey Species belonging to the Kestrel group of the Falcon family The Kārearea, or New Zealand Falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae, is New Zealand 's only endemic Falcon and indeed the only remaining The Saker Falcon ( Falco cherrug) is a very large Falcon. This species breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to The Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus) also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America is a (1996), except for adjustments in the kestrel sequence.

• Madagascar Kestrel, Falco newtoni
• Seychelles Kestrel, Falco araea
• Mauritius Kestrel, Falco punctatus
• Réunion Kestrel, Falco duboisi - extinct (c. The Madagascar Kestrel ( Falco newtoni) also known as Malagasy Spotted Kestrel Newton's Kestrel Madagascar Spotted Kestrel katiti ( Creole) The Seychelles Kestrel ( Falco araea) is a small Bird of prey belonging to the genus Falco in the Falcon family Falconidae The Mauritius Kestrel ( Falco punctatus) is a Bird of prey from the family Falconidae endemic to Mauritius. The Réunion Kestrel ( Falco duboisi) is an Extinct Bird of prey belonging to the Falcon family In Biology and Ecology, extinction is the cessation of existence of a Species or group of taxa. 1700)
• Spotted Kestrel, Falco moluccensis
• Nankeen Kestrel or Australian Kestrel, Falco cenchroides
• Common Kestrel, Falco tinnunculus
• Rock Kestrel, Falco (tinnunculus) rupicolus
• Greater Kestrel, Falco rupicoloides
• Fox Kestrel, Falco alopex
• Lesser Kestrel, Falco naumanni
• Grey Kestrel, Falco ardosiaceus
• Dickinson's Kestrel, Falco dickinsoni
• Banded Kestrel, Falco zoniventris
• Red-necked Falcon, Falco chicquera
  • African Red-necked Falcon, Falco (chicquera) ruficollis
• Red-footed Falcon, Falco vespertinus
• Amur Falcon, Falco amurensis
• Eleonora's Falcon, Falco eleonorae
• Sooty Falcon, Falco concolor
• American Kestrel or "Sparrow Hawk", Falco sparverius
• Aplomado Falcon, Falco femoralis
• (American) Merlin or "Pigeon Hawk", Falco columbarius
  • Eurasian Merlin, Falco (columbarius) aesalon
• Bat Falcon, Falco rufigularis
• Orange-breasted Falcon, Falco deiroleucus
• Eurasian Hobby, Falco subbuteo
• African Hobby, Falco cuvierii
• Oriental Hobby, Falco severus
• Australian Hobby or Little Falcon, Falco longipennis
• New Zealand Falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae
• Brown Falcon, Falco berigora
• Grey Falcon, Falco hypoleucos
• Black Falcon, Falco subniger
• Lanner Falcon, Falco biarmicus
• Laggar Falcon, Falco jugger
• Saker Falcon, Falco cherrug
  • Altai Falcon, Falco altaicus (status unclear)
• Gyrfalcon, Falco rusticolus
• Prairie Falcon, Falco mexicanus
• Peregrine Falcon or "Duck Hawk", Falco peregrinus
  • Peale's Falcon, Falco peregrinus pealei
  • Pallid Falcon, Falco peregrinus cassini var. The Spotted Kestrel ( Falco moluccensis) is also known as the Moluccan Kestrel The Australian or Nankeen Kestrel, Falco cenchroides, is one of the smallest Falcons and unlike many does not rely on speed to catch its The Common Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus) is a Bird of prey Species belonging to the Kestrel group of the Falcon family The Common Kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus) is a Bird of prey Species belonging to the Kestrel group of the Falcon family The Greater Kestrel or White-eyed Kestrel ( Falco rupicoloides) is a Bird of prey belonging to the Falcon family Falconidae. The Fox Kestrel ( Falco alopex) is a Bird of prey belonging to the Falcon family Falconidae. The Lesser Kestrel ( Falco naumanni) is a small Falcon. This Species breeds from the Mediterranean across southern central The Grey Kestrel ( Falco ardosiaceus) is an African Bird of prey belonging to the Falcon family Falconidae. Dickinson's Kestrel ( Falco dickinsoni) is a Bird of prey of southern and eastern Africa belonging to the Falcon family Falconidae The Banded Kestrel ( Falco zoniventris) is a Bird of prey belonging to the Falcon family Falconidae. The Red-necked Falcon or Red-headed Merlin ( Falco chicquera) is a Bird of prey in the Falcon family The Red-footed Falcon ( Falco vespertinus) formerly Western Red-footed Falcon, is a Bird of prey. The Amur Falcon ( Falco amurensis) formerly Eastern Red-footed Falcon, is a small raptor of the Falcon family Eleonora's Falcon ( Falco eleonorae) is a medium-sized Falcon. The Sooty Falcon ( Falco concolor) is a medium-sized Falcon breeding from northeastern Africa to the southern Persian Gulf region The American Kestrel ( Falco sparverius) is a small Falcon. This bird was (and sometimes still is colloquially known in North America as The Merlin ( Falco columbarius) is a smallish Falcon that breeds in northern North America, Europe and Asia. The Bat Falcon ( Falco rufigularis) is a Falcon that is a resident breeder in tropical Mexico, Central and South America The Orange-breasted Falcon ( Falco deiroleucus) is a Bird of the Falcon family The Eurasian Hobby ( Falco subbuteo) or just simply Hobby, is a small slim Falcon. UserPolbot. -->The African Hobby ( Falco cuvierii) is a species of Bird of prey in the Falconidae The Oriental Hobby ( Falco severus) is a species of Falcon typically 27-30 cm long The Australian Hobby or Little Falcon ( Falco longipennis) is a Falcon found mainly in Australia. The Kārearea, or New Zealand Falcon, Falco novaeseelandiae, is New Zealand 's only endemic Falcon and indeed the only remaining The Brown Falcon, Falco berigora, is a member of the Falcon Genus found in the drier regions of Australia The Grey Falcon, Falco hypoleucos, is a rare medium-sized Falcon, one of the enigmatic ‘mystery’ birds of Australia neither easily nor predictably seen The Black Falcon ( Falco subniger) is a medium-large Falcon that lives only in Australia. The Lanner Falcon ( Falco biarmicus) is a large Bird of prey that breeds in Africa, southeast Europe and just into Asia The Laggar Falcon ( Falco jugger) is a mid-sized Bird of prey which occurs in the Indian subcontinent from extreme south-east Iran, south-east The Saker Falcon ( Falco cherrug) is a very large Falcon. This species breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to The Gyrfalcon ˈdʒɜrˌfɔlkən or ˈdʒɜrˌfælkən ( Falco rusticolus) also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest The Prairie Falcon ( Falco mexicanus) is a medium-sized Falcon of western North America. The Peregrine Falcon ( Falco peregrinus) also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America is a The Peale's Falcon Falco peregrinus pealei is a subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon. kreyenborgi
  • Barbary Falcon, Falco (peregrinus) pelegrinoides
• Taita Falcon, Falco fasciinucha

Fossil record

• Falco medius (Late Miocene of Cherevichnyi, Ukraine)^[9]
• ?Falco sp. The Barbary Falcon ( Falco pelegrinoides) is a medium-sized Falcon about the size of a Crow. The Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha is one of the smallest Falcons in the Southern African Sub-region (Late Miocene of Idaho)^[10]
• Falco sp. (Early^[11] Pliocene of Kansas)^[12]
• Falco sp. (Early Pliocene of Bulgaria - Early Pleistocene of Spain and Czechia)^[13]
• Falco oregonus (Early/Middle Pliocene of Fossil Lake, Oregon) - possibly not distinct from a living species
• Falco umanskajae (Late Pliocene of Kryzhanovka, Ukraine) - includes "Falco odessanus", a nomen nudum^[14]
• ?Falco bakalovi (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)^[15]
• Falco antiquus (Middle Pleistocene of Noailles, France and possibly Horvőlgy, Hungary)^[16]
• Cuban Kestrel, Falco kurochkini (Late Pleistocene/Holocene of Cuba, West Indies)

Several more paleosubspecies of extant species also been described; see species accounts for these. The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term meaning "naked name"

"Sushkinia" pliocaena from the Early Pliocene of Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) appears to be a falcon of some sort. It might belong into this genus or a closely related one (Becker 1987). In any case, the genus name Sushkinia is invalid for this animal because it had already been allocated to a prehistoric dragonfly relative. Anisoptera redirects here For the genus of trees see Anisoptera (tree.

The supposed "Falco" pisanus was actually a pigeon of the genus Columba, possibly the same as Columba omnisanctorum which in that case would adopt the older species name of the "falcon" (Mlíkovský 2002). The large Bird Genus Columba comprises a group of medium to large stout-bodied pigeons, often referred to as the typical pigeons The Eocene fossil "Falco" falconellus (or "F. The Eocene epoch (558 ± 02 - 339 ± 01 Ma) is a major division of the Geologic timescale and the second epoch of the Palaeogene period in " falconella) from Wyoming is a bird of uncertain affiliations, maybe a falconid, maybe not; it certainly does not belong into this genus. "Falco" readei is now considered a paleosubspecies of the Yellow-headed Caracara (Milvago chimachima). A chronospecies is a Species which changes physically morphologically, genetically, and/or behaviorally over time on an evolutionary scale such The Yellow-headed Caracara, Milvago chimachima, is a Bird of prey in the family Falconidae

Footnotes

References

• Becker, Jonathan J. (1987): Revision of "Falco" ramenta Wetmore and the Neogene evolution of the Falconidae. Auk 104(2): 270-276. The Auk is a quarterly Journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union, having been continuously published by that body since PDF fulltext
• Feduccia, J. Alan (1970): Some birds of prey from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas. Auk 87(4): 795-797. The Auk is a quarterly Journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union, having been continuously published by that body since PDF fulltext
• Griffiths, Carole S. (1999): Phylogeny of the Falconidae inferred from molecular and morphological data. Auk 116(1): 116–130. The Auk is a quarterly Journal and the official publication of the American Ornithologists' Union, having been continuously published by that body since PDF fulltext
• Griffiths, Carole S. ; Barrowclough, George F. ; Groth, Jeff G. & Mertz, Lisa (2004): Phylogeny of the Falconidae (Aves): a comparison of the efficacy of morphological, mitochondrial, and nuclear data. Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution 32(1): 101–109. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2003.11.019 (HTML abstract)
• Groombridge, Jim J. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. ; 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. doi:10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00254-3 (HTML abstract)
• Helbig, A. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. J. ; Seibold, I. ; Bednarek, W. ; Brüning, H. ; Gaucher, P. ; Ristow, D. ; Scharlau, W. ; Schmidl, D. & Wink, Michael (1994): Phylogenetic relationships among falcon species (genus Falco) according to DNA sequence variation of the cytochrome b gene. In: Meyburg, B. -U. & Chancellor, R. D. (eds. ): Raptor conservation today: 593-599. PDF fulltext
• Johnson, J. A. ; Burnham, K. K. ; Burnham, W. A. ; Mindell, D. P. (2007): Genetic structure among continental and island populations of gyrfalcons. Molecular Ecology 16:3145-3160. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03373.x (HTML abstract)
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• Mlíkovský, Jirí (2002): Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe. Ninox Press, Prague. ISBN 80-901105-3-8 PDF fulltext
• Nittinger, F. ; Haring, E. ; Pinsker, W. ; Wink, Michael & Gamauf, A. (2005): Out of Africa? Phylogenetic relationships between Falco biarmicus and other hierofalcons (Aves Falconidae). Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research 43(4): 321-331. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0469.2005.00326.x PDF fulltext
• Sobolev, D. A digital object identifier ( DOI) is a permanent identifier given to an Electronic document. V. (2003): Новый вид плиоценового сокола (Falconiformes, Falconidae) [A new species of Pliocene falcon (Falconiformes, Falconidae)] Vestnik zoologii 37(6): 85–87. [Russian with English abstract] PDF fulltext
• White, Clayton M. ; Olsen, Penny D. & Kiff, Lloyd F. (1994): Family Falconidae. In: del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi (editors): Handbook of Birds of the World, Volume 2 (New World Vultures to Guineafowl): 216-275, plates 24-28. HBW_-_Taxonomygif|right|frame|(400 × 258 pixels file size38KBMIME typeimage/gif|HBW-Page on Taxonomy]]HBW-accounts_8-082-083_copia Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. ISBN 84-87334-15-6
• Wink, Michael & Sauer-Gürth, Hedi (2000): Advances in the molecular systematics of African raptors. In: Chancellor, R. D. & Meyburg, B. -U. (eds): Raptors at Risk: 135-147. WWGBP/Hancock House, Berlin/Blaine. PDF fulltext
• Wink, Michael; Seibold, I. ; Lotfikhah, F. & Bednarek, W. (1998): Molecular systematics of holarctic raptors (Order Falconiformes). In: Chancellor, R. D. , Meyburg, B. -U. & Ferrero, J. J. (eds. ): Holarctic Birds of Prey: 29-48. Adenex & WWGBP. PDF fulltext
• Wink, Michael; Sauer-Gürth, Hedi; Ellis, David & Kenward, Robert (2004): Phylogenetic relationships in the Hierofalco complex (Saker-, Gyr-, Lanner-, Laggar Falcon). In: Chancellor, R. D. & Meyburg, B. -U. (eds. ): Raptors Worldwide: 499-504. WWGBP, Berlin. PDF fulltext

External links

• Falconidae videos on the Internet Bird Collection
• The Raptor Resource Project Peregrine, owl, eagle and osprey cams, facts, and other resources.
• [7] Recording of a Falcon mating call.

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