Merlin - falcon

The Merlin has a body length of 10 - 13 inches, a wingspan
of 20 - 26 inches, and weighs 5 - 8 1/2 ounces.
Merlins inhabit boreal forests, coastal forests, prairies
and shrub-steppes of North America and Eurasia from sea-level to tree line.
Small to medium birds are the staple foods for Merlins, but they will also hunt bats, insects, and small rodents.
This falcon usually catches prey in the air after a swoop from
a perch or while flying low over the ground.
The prey is sometimes captured after a speedy pursuit.
Uneaten prey may be hidden for later consumption.
These falcons use old stick nests from crows, magpies, and hawks, or cliff ledges and natural cavities.
The female lays 3 - 6 eggs that are incubated for 27 - 32 days.
The young fledge 1 month later.
Merlins are able to breed at 1 year of age.
The scientific name comes from the Latin words falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws, and columbarius, pertaining to pigeons.
The common name may have been derived from the Latin word merula, meaning a black bird. Merlins are also known as Pigeon Hawks, Bullet Hawk, Black Pigeon Hawk, Richardson’s Pigeon Hawk, and Suckley’s Pigeon Hawk.
FACTS:
-The color of the Merlin’s plumage is slightly different between the two sexes.
The slate blue color of the male is brighter and more contrasting than the female’s uniformly drab brown color.
- In the sport of falconry during the Middle Ages, the Merlin was flown in spectacular ringing flights in pursuit of Skylarks by the ladies of the court.
Falconers call the male Merlin a jack.

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Teita Falcon

The Teita Falcon has a body length of 10 - 12 inches
an approximate wingspan of 1 1/2 - 2 feet, and weighs 7 1/2 - 11 ounces.
Teita Falcons roost and nest in high cliffs and hunt over the dry terrain below in eastern and southeastern Africa.
This falcon eats mostly birds and some insects.
The prey is taken in the air after the falcon dives toward the prey from a perch or during flight.
Teita Falcons nest in protected holes on cliff faces.
The female lays 2 - 4 eggs in a scrape or old stick nest.
The eggs are incubated for 31 - 33 days.
The young falcons fledge at 42 days and are independent of parental care about 3 weeks later.
The scientific name comes from the Latin words falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws; fascia, pertaining to streaks or bands; and nucha, referring to the back of the head (nape). The common name is from the Teita Hills in Kenya, Africa where the bird was first discovered.
The common name can also be spelled Taita Falcon.
FACTS:
-The robust, long-winged Teita Falcons have a short tail.
Their flight is fast and somewhat heavy looking, but they are adept at aerial hunting.
-Most birds of prey show color differences between juvenile and adult birds.
This may help to provide the young with
better camouflage and reduce conflicts with aggressive adults defending their territory.

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American Kestrel

The American Kestrel has a body length of 9 - 12 inches, a wingspan
of 20 - 24 inches, and weighs 3 1/2 - 5 1/2 ounces.
American Kestrels are found throughout most of North, Central, and South America.
They inhabit tropical lowlands, deserts, urban areas, and open-altered lands, such as agricultural fields.
Kestrels feed mainly on crickets, grasshoppers, mice, voles, lizards, and snakes.
This falcon searches for its prey from an overlooking perch or
by hovering in the air.
When the prey is spotted, the kestrel will plunge down to catch it.
Kestrels are cavity nesters, using natural hollows in trees, cacti, dirt banks and cliffs, or man-made boxes, building ledges, and other cavities in buildings.
Females lay 4 - 6 eggs.
The eggs are incubated about 28 days and the young birds fledge about 28 days after hatching. Kestrels are able to reproduce as early as 1 year of age.
The scientific name comes from the Latin word falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws, and espervier, the Latinized French word for a sparrow hawk and probably refers to its size and prey.
The American Kestrel has been called a Sparrow Hawk, Killy Hawk
(for the sound they make), or Windhover (for their ability to hover).
FACTS:
- The American Kestrel is the smallest and most numerous of the North American falcons.
-While the young birds are practicing their hunting skills, kestrels
will often hunt in family units.
- There is a color difference between the sexes.
The male kestrel has blue on its wings, while the female is mostly brown.

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Aplomado Falcon - FACTS

MEASUREMENTS: The Aplomado Falcon has a body length of 12 - 16 inches, a wingspan of 2 1/2 - 3 feet, and weighs 9 - 17 ounces.
HABITAT: The Aplomado Falcon inhabits areas of open grassland, savanna, and shrub-steppe from tropical lowlands up to 12,000 feet.
Aplomados historically ranged from southwest United States, through Central America
and across most of South America.
These falcons had become extinct in the northern extent of their range.
The Peregrine Fund is reintroducing this falcon into its northern range.
DIET: Aplomado Falcons feed predominately on birds and insects.
These falcons often search for prey from a perch, then swoop down to catch it.
Aplomados will also steal food from other raptors
and mated pairs will hunt together.
Uneaten food will be hidden for later meals.
REPRODUCTION: Aplomado Falcons do not build their own nests, but use abandoned stick nests made by other birds. The female most often lays 2 - 3 eggs that are incubated
approximately 31 - 32 days. Young birds fledge from 4 - 5 weeks after hatching.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin words falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak or claws; femoralis pertains to the thigh and refers to the orange-brown color of the thigh. Aplomado is Spanish for lead-colored and alludes to the adult’s blue-black color.
This bird has been known as an American Hobby, Femoral Falcon, and Orange-chested Hobby.
FACTS:
-Since the early 1900s the Aplomado has become increasingly scarce in its northern range with the last known pair nesting in New Mexico in the early 1950s.
This decline is probably due to the deterioration of the falcon’s habitat due to changes in land use and pesticides.
In 1993, The Peregrine Fund started reintroducing captive-bred Aplomado Falcons into southern Texas.
-The Aplomado Falcon has accipiter-like habits and a similar body shape.
They have a long tail, long legs, and a slightly rounded wingtip.
This falcon also uses accipiter hawk hunting strategies, such as flying
into foliage to pursue or flush out their prey.

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polyborus plancus

MEASUREMENTS: The Crested Caracara has a body length of 19 - 23 inches, a 4-foot wingspan, and weighs 1 3/4 - 3 1/2 pounds.
The bird’s weight varies greatly depending on where it lives.
HABITAT: The Crested Caracaras’ preferred habitat is open, lowland countryside, like pastures, savannas, river edges, and ranches.
They may also be found in some forests and marshes.
These birds reside in the southwestern United States and Florida, Central America, and South America.
DIET: The Crested Caracara usually feeds on carrion, but they will take advantage of any food opportunity by eating small mammals, amphibians, reptiles, turtles, fish, crab, eggs, insects, worms, and nestling birds.
Caracaras hunt live food on the ground or take food from other birds.
REPRODUCTION: Crested Caracaras build a massive stick nest in a palm, cactus, tree, or on the ground. The female usually lays 2 - 3 eggs
that are incubated for 28 - 32 days. The young caracaras have a drawn out fledging period, taking up to 3 months before they are flying as independent birds.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from poly, the Greek word for many or varied; boros, meaning gluttonous and remarks on the bird’s voracious appetite; and from the Latin word plancus, which is a word Aristotle used for an eagle.
The common name, caracara, is what South Americans called the bird and probably imitates the sound of the bird.
This bird has been called Caracara Eagle, King Buzzard, Mexican Eagle, Audubon’s Caracara
and Mexican Buzzard.
The scientific name of this bird was formerly Caracara cheriway.
INTERESTING FACTS:
-Unlike other members of the falcon family that do
not construct nests, the caracara builds a stick nest.
-The caracara is the most terrestrial bird in the falcon group.
It spends a great deal of time on the ground.

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Facts About earth in September Equinox

There are two interesting facts which are not
often noticed, but should be shared
with students to get them interested in this subject.
First, the equinox( falling this year on September 22, 2009) means that the length
of the day is exactly the same all over the earth: from the North Pole
to the South Pole, and from both Temperate Zones, to the Tropics, to the Equator.
Second, which I’ve noticed over many years of watching the world weather, is that TEMPERATURES equal distances north and south
of the equator (in similar continental zones, of course), are roughly the SAME at this time of year.
For example, I live in North Africa. Having travelled many
years ago to Cape Town, South Africa, I’ve continued to watch
the temperatures there, comparing them with the North African temperatures.
Around the time of either the March or September equinoxes, the temperatures
in both North Africa and South Africa are roughly the same!

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Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon also known simply as the Peregrine,and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae.
It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts
and a black head and "moustache".
It can reach speeds over 320 km/h (200 mph) in a dive, making it the fastest animal in the world. [4] As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is much bigger than the male.
Experts recognize 17-19 subspecies
which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over
whether the distinctive Barbary Falcon is a subspecies or a distinct species.

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Prairie Falcon - INTERESTING FACTS

MEASUREMENTS: The Prairie Falcon has a body length of 15 - 20 inches, a 3 1/2 foot wingspan, and weighs 1 - 2 pounds.
HABITAT: Prairie Falcons inhabit hills, canyons, and mountains of arid grasslands
and shrub-steppes of southwestern Canada, western United States, Baja California, and northern Mexico.
DIET: The primary food of Prairie Falcons is small mammals, especially ground squirrels, but they will also hunt birds, reptiles, and insects.
This falcon actively searches for prey during flight. Prairie Falcons catch prey on or close to the ground after a low angled swoop from above.
REPRODUCTION: Typically, Prairie Falcons nest on a cliff face using a ledge, cavity, crevice, or an abandoned nest of eagles, hawks, or ravens. Prairie Falcons lay 3 - 6 eggs with an incubation time of about 34 days. Young falcons leave the nest 5 - 6 weeks after hatching.
NAME DERIVATION: The scientific name comes from the Latin word falco, meaning hook-shaped (falcate) and may refer to the beak and claws, and the Latinized name for Mexico, where the bird was first collected for scientific study. The common name mistakenly refers to the habitat in which this bird may be found.
True prairies are mostly outside this bird’s range.
INTERESTING FACTS:
- Prairie Falcons are probably just as fast as Peregrine Falcons, but do not typically use the same hunting strategy.
-Prairie and Peregrine Falcons are similar in size and can be distinguished from each other by color. The Prairie Falcon is brown and has dark “armpits” or dark patches under
the wings, while the Peregrine is blue-gray and has a uniform underwing color pattern.

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Prairie Falcon

The Prairie Falcon is a medium-sized falcon of western North America.
It is about the size of a Peregrine Falcon or a crow, with
an average length of 40 cm , wingspan of 1 metre , and weight of 720 g (1.6 lb). As in all falcons, females are noticeably bigger than males.

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