© monacoeye • Female kestrel hovering, France • 2009

Bird name: Common Kestrel
Latin: Falco tinnunculus
Other: Kestrel (UK), Faucon Crécerelle (Fr), Turmfalke (De), Cernícalo vulgar (Es), Gheppio comune (It), Torenvalk (Nl), Tornfalk (Sv), Peneireiro-vulgar (Pt)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Kestrels
Range: Europe, Asia, India, Africa
Similar: Lesser Kestrel

The male Kestrel has a grey cap and tail, while the female is brown. Both have the dark malar stripe characteristic of falcons.

There are many races of Kestrel each with slightly different patterning. In France the nominate tinnunculus race is present, while in Gambia the rufescens race is found (see below). Male rufescens have more heavily barred upperside than tinnunculus; female rufescens are deeper brown and more barred than tinnunculus.

Kestrels are one of the most abundant and visible birds of prey in Europe - often seen hovering in mid air before swooping down to catch a lizard or small mammal.

They are small birds, a little larger than pigeons.

Below, male Common Kestrel wing pattern. Falco tinnunculus tinnunculus, France


Common Kestrel brings agama lizard to juv? Falco tinnunculus rufescens


Below, Common Kestrel. Falco tinnunculus rufescens. Gambia, Feb 2013
More photos...

© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved. Gambia, Mar 2013.

Bird name: Lanner Falcon
Latin: Falco biarmicus
Other: Faucon lanier (Fr), Lanario (It), halcón borni (Es), alfaneque (Pt), Lanner (De)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Africa, SE Europe, Asia
Similar: Saker Falcon

We saw Lanner Falcons several times while in the Gambia. This one was perched at the edge of an open area in Tujereng. A large and powerful falcon. Reddish back to head.
More photos...

© GW - monacoeye, all rights reserved. Gambia, Feb 2013.

Bird name: Grey Kestrel
Latin: Falco ardosiaceus
Other: Gray Kestrel (US), Faucon ardoisé (Fr), Cernícalo pizarroso (Es), Gheppio grigio (It), grijze torenvalk (Nl), Grå tornfalk (Sv)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Kestrels
Range: W, C Africa - incl Gambia
Similar:

We saw this Grey Kestrel perched in a palm beside the river on MacCarthy Island, in the Gambia. Large amount of yellow around the eyes.

Below, Grey Kestrel, Gambia River, Gambia, Feb 2013.
More photos...

Copyright monacoeye • Amazonia, Brazil, August.

Bird name: Black Caracara
Latin: Daptrius ater
Other: Gavião-de-anta (Br) • Caracara negro (Es), chupacacao negro, cacao negro
Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Caracaras
Range: Amazonia: Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Venezuela.
Similar:

I saw Black Caracaras in Amazonia in Brazil and Ecuador. Adults are black birds with red-orange face masks, juveniles have a yellow face. Unmistakeable. Like other caracaras, often in groups.

Below, a perched Black Caracara in Para, Brazil, August.
More photos...

Copyright monacoeye • Amazonia, Brazil.

Bird name: Red Throated Caracara
Latin: Ibycter americanus
Other: Gralhão, cancão-grande (Br) • Chupacacao de vientre blanco (Es)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Caracaras
Range: Mexico to Brazil
Similar:

The Red-throated Caracara is a great looking bird - I only saw them once and at some distance, so just record shots here. They were very vocal.

Unlike other caracaras the Red-throated Caracara mostly feeds on bee and wasp larvae, also other insects and fruit.

Below, group of Red-throated Caracaras in Para, Brazil.
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Copyright monacoeye • Pantanal, Brazil, August.

Bird name: Laughing Falcon
Latin: Herpetotheres cachinnans
Other: Acauã (Br) • Halcón reidor (Es), halcón guaco, halcón risueño, guaicurú, guaco
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Mexico, Central America, South America, Brazil to Argentina
Similar:

No mistaking the Laughing Falcon, with its light underside and large black eye mask. When perched it appears to have a “flat-top” haircut. A specialist snake-eater. Seen in the Pantanal at Pouse Alegre.

More photos...

Copyright: monacoeye • Para, Brazil, August, 2011

Bird name: Bat Falcon
Latin: Falco rufigularis
Other: Halcón murcielaguero (Es) • Cauré (Br)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Mexico, Central America, tropical South America
Similar: Orange-breasted Falcon

Above, record shot of Bat Falcon perched beside river in Amazonia, Brazil.More photos...

Copyright TC/monacoeye • Tanzania

Bird name: Pygmy Falcon
Latin: Polihierax semitorquatus
Other: African Pygmy Falcon
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: E, S Africa: Sudan, Somalia, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania; Angola, South Africa
Similar:

Thanks to Tom for this shot of the East African Pygmy Falcon - P. s. castanonotus - in Tanzania. The smallest of all raptors in Africa.

Copyright monacoeye

Bird name: Saker Falcon
Latin: Falco cherrug
Other: Falco sacro (It) • Sakerfalke, Würgfalke (De)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: E Europe to Manchuria, Ethiopia
Similar:

Falconer’s bird.More photos...

Copyright TH/monacoeye

Bird name: Nankeen Kestrel
Latin: Falco cenchroides
Other:
Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Kestrels
Range: Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand vagrant
Similar:

A shot of a falconer’s bird.More photos...

Copyright TH/monacoeye

Bird name: Brown Falcon
Latin: Falco berigora
Other:
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Australia
Similar:

Another falconer’s bird.

Copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Alpes Maritimes, January

Bird name: Peregrine Falcon
Latin: Falco peregrinus
Other: Faucon pèlerin (Fr) • Wanderfalke (De) • Halcón peregrino (Es) • Falco pellegrino (It) • Falcão-peregrino (Pt)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Widespread worldwide
Similar:

The Peregrine Falcon is a powerful and fast bird which preys on other smaller birds. There is currently a pair nesting in the mountains above Monaco so one can often get a good view.

This was one of a pair I saw at the weekend. They often whizz past too fast for a crisp shot, but here he was circling up on a thermal, before shooting off down the mountainside. Females are larger than males, I think the bird pictured is a male.

Peregrines are reportedly able to reach speeds of up to 320 km/h (200 mph) and are thus the world’s fastest animal.

There are many different subspecies of Peregrine Falcon worldwide. The local subspecies, pictured above, and found around the Mediterranean, is Falco peregrinus brookei, also known as the Maltese Falcon.

More photos...

Copyright monacoeye • Do not copy without permission • Alpes Maritimes, France • Sep 2010

Bird name: Eleonora's Falcon
Latin: Falco eleonorae
Other: Faucon d’Eléonore (Fr) • Halcón de Eleonor (Es) • Falco della Regina (It)
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Mediterranean islands mostly and some Mediterranean coastline

A couple of indistinct distant shots of what was probably quite a rare sighting of an Eleonora’s Falcon, three days ago, flying along the coast in the Alpes Maritimes.

Although Eleonora’s Falcon is thought to have a worldwide population of only about 4000 breeding pairs, and in Europe is found mostly on Mediterranean islands, with 650 pairs counted on the small Greek island of Tilos alone, about half a dozen Eleonora’s Falcons are recorded migrating near the French coast in the Alpes Maritimes in September every year. They head towards Spain and then Africa and spend the northern winter in Madagascar.More photos...

Photo copyright: monacoeye • Do not copy • Metropolitan Park, Panama • 29 April 2010

Bird name: American Kestrel
Latin: Falco sparverius
Other: Quiriquiri (Br), Falcão-americano • Cernícalo americano (Es), Halconcito colorado
Family: Falconidae • Falcons
Range: Alaska to Argentina

This American Kestrel was sheltering from a downpour in the eves of an amenity building at the Parque Natural Metropolitano in Panama City.

The American Kestrel is a small falcon, widely distributed throughout the Americas.

Other observations: Mostardas, Brazil, November 2009, a pair roosting on the town satellite tower.More photos...

Photos copyright: monacoeye • Danube Delta, Romania • May 2009 • Do not copy without permission

Bird name: Eurasian Hobby
Latin: Falco subbuteo
Other: Faucon hobereau
Family: Falconidae • Birds of Prey

The top shot illustrates the characteristic “red trousers” of the Hobby.More photos...

038 Family: Falconidae • Falcons, Caracaras, Kestrels, Hobbies - IOC 2.5 - 2010

Falconidae are not Accipitriformes, but more closely related to parrots.

Daptrius ater - Black Caracara - Amazonia

Ibycter americanus - Red-throated Caracara - S Mexico to S Brazil

Phalcoboenus carunculatus - Carunculated Caracara - Ecuador, SW Colombia
Phalcoboenus megalopterus - Mountain Caracara - Peru to C Chile
Phalcoboenus albogularis - White-throated Caracara - S Chile, S Argentina
Phalcoboenus australis - Striated Caracara - S islands

Caracara cheriway - Northern Crested Caracara - S USA to N South America
Caracara plancus - Southern Crested Caracara - S, SC South America

Milvago chimachima - Yellow-headed Caracara - Costa Rica to N Argentina
Milvago chimango - Chimango Caracara - Southern Cone

Herpetotheres cachinnans - Laughing Falcon - Mexico to N Argentina

Micrastur ruficollis - Barred Forest Falcon - S Mexico to N Argentina
Micrastur plumbeus - Plumbeous Forest Falcon - SW Colombia, NW Ecuador
Micrastur gilvicollis - Lined Forest Falcon - Amazonia
Micrastur mintoni - Cryptic Forest Falcon - E Amazonia S to Bolivia
Micrastur mirandollei - Slaty-backed Forest Falcon - Costa Rica to E Brazil
Micrastur semitorquatus - Collared Forest Falcon - C Mexico to N Argentina
Micrastur buckleyi - Buckley's Forest Falcon - W Amazonia

Spiziapteryx circumcincta - Spot-winged Falconet - SC South America

Polihierax semitorquatus - Pygmy Falcon - E, S Africa
Polihierax insignis - White-rumped Falcon - Southeast Asia

Microhierax caerulescens - Collared Falconet - NE India through Southeast Asia
Microhierax fringillarius - Black-thighed Falconet - Malay Peninsula, Greater Sundas
Microhierax latifrons - White-fronted Falconet - Borneo
Microhierax erythrogenys - Philippine Falconet - Philippines
Microhierax melanoleucos - Pied Falconet - NE India to S China & C Vietnam

Falco naumanni - Lesser Kestrel - SW, C, E Eurasia - Africa
Falco tinnunculus - Common Kestrel - Widespread Eurasia, Africa - Asia
Falco rupicolus - Rock Kestrel - S Africa - Split from F. tinnunculus
Falco newtoni - Malagasy Kestrel - Madagascar, Aldabra Island
Falco punctatus - Mauritius Kestrel - Mauritius
Falco araeus - Seychelles Kestrel - Seychelles Islands
Falco moluccensis - Spotted Kestrel - Moluccas, Sulawesi, Lesser Sundas, Java & Bali
Falco cenchroides - Nankeen Kestrel - Widespread Australasia
Falco sparverius - American Kestrel - Widespread North America, Latin America
Falco rupicoloides - Greater Kestrel - E, S Africa
Falco alopex - Fox Kestrel - C, W Africa
Falco ardosiaceus - Grey Kestrel - C, W, SW Africa
Falco dickinsoni - Dickinson's Kestrel - SC, SE Africa
Falco zoniventris - Banded Kestrel - Madagascar
Falco chicquera - Red-necked Falcon - C, W, S Africa, India
Falco vespertinus - Red-footed Falcon - C Eurasia - S Africa
Falco amurensis - Amur Falcon - E Eurasia - SE Africa
Falco eleonorae - Eleonora's Falcon - S Europe, Eurasia, also N Africa - E Africa, Madagascar
Falco concolor - Sooty Falcon - E Libya to SW Pakistan - SE Africa, Madagascar
Falco femoralis - Aplomado Falcon - Widespread Latin America
Falco columbarius - Merlin - Widespread North America, Eurasia - N Asia, N Latin America
Falco rufigularis - Bat Falcon - N Mexico to NE Argentina
Falco deiroleucus - Orange-breasted Falcon - S Mexico to NE Argentina
Falco subbuteo - Eurasian Hobby - Widespread Eurasia - S Africa, N Asia
Falco cuvierii - African Hobby - E, C, W, SE Africa
Falco severus - Oriental Hobby - NW India to Solomon Islands
Falco longipennis - Australian Hobby - Widespread Australasia
Falco novaeseelandiae - New Zealand Falcon - New Zealand
Falco berigora - Brown Falcon - Widespread Australasia
Falco hypoleucos - Grey Falcon - Australia
Falco subniger - Black Falcon - Australia
Falco biarmicus - Lanner Falcon - S Europe, Arabian Peninsula, Widespread Eurasia, Africa Africa
Falco jugger - Laggar Falcon - Pakistan to Burma, India
Falco cherrug - Saker Falcon - C, S Eurasia - NE Africa, N Asia
Falco rusticolus - Gyrfalcon - N North America, Eurasia
Falco mexicanus - Prairie Falcon - W North America, Middle America
Falco peregrinus - Peregrine Falcon - Widespread Worldwide
Falco pelegrinoides - Barbary Falcon - SW, Eurasia, also N Africa
Falco fasciinucha - Taita Falcon - E, SE Africa