Falcons of North America: Meet the 6 Species That Rule the Skies
By Nick Lund
Falcon! It’s one of the coolest words in all of birds. Falcon! A word synonymous with speed and coolness, used to name everything from superheroes to cars to spaceships.
It’s a reputation that falcons (the birds, that is) have earned. These raptors are among the most fearsome predators in the animal kingdom, renowned for their speed and mastery of flight.
What Sets Falcons Apart From Other Raptors?
But what makes a falcon a falcon? It all comes down to hunting style. Raptors – meat eating birds – have evolved different body shapes and features to help them hunt. Buteo hawks, for example, like the common Red-tailed Hawk, are “perch-and-wait” hunters. They prefer to pounce down on unsuspecting rodents, and have evolved strong talons to help them grab hold. Accipiter hawks, like the Sharp-shinned Hawk, hunt birds in forests. They’ve evolved short wings and a long tail to help them maneuver between trees in pursuit of their prey. Owls, of course, evolved incredible hearing and vision, as well as near-silent flight, to help them hunt at night.
Nature’s Speed Demons: Built for the Hunt
Falcons are built for speed. They’re open-county predators, aiming to take out ducks, shorebirds, or other targets that have room to escape. Falcons use their speed and aerial agility to snag their prey before it can get away.
Their bodies have evolved to help support their speedy lifestyle. Falcons have special nostrils that help slow down air from rushing into their lungs during dives. Their tears are thick, almost like a syrup, to help keep their eyes from drying out at high speeds. Internally, they have an extra-large keep bone – where powerful flight muscles are attached – and extra vertebrae near their tail to aid in maneuverability.
Six Falcons of North America
Falcons are serious predators, but which ones live in America? There are six species:
Peregrine Falcon
One of the most famous of all birds, renowned as being the fastest animal on earth. The Peregrine Falcon achieved its record speed during one of its stooping dives, where it plummets headlong out of the sky (usually with the sun behind it to make it harder to see) at speeds upwards of 240 miles per hour. These two-foot-tall falcons are found on all continents except Antarctica, and can be identified by their black-and-white striped breast and black hood and “moustache.”
Prairie Falcon
Lesser known than but closely related to the Peregrine, the Prairie Falcon lives nowhere else but arid North America. This bird is the same size and shape as a Peregrine but brown, with a thinner “moustache” mark down its face. Look for this species hunting fast over the arid west, high desert, and shortgrass prairies.
Gyrfalcon
The mythical Gyrfalcon is the largest and mightiest falcon on earth. It lives on the Arctic tundra year round, hunting open-country prey like ptarmigan, ducks, ground squirrels, and hares. They come in several color “morphs,” but the most famous is white. These incredible birds rarely visit the continental United States in winter, but are worth a trip to the tundra.
Aplomado Falcon
The least numerous and perhaps most beautiful falcon in America, the Aplomado Falcon is currently confined to parts of south Texas, though its range extends southward throughout South America. Smaller than a Peregrine but with a bold black and white face pattern and a reddish belly, the Aplomado Falcon hunts through the desert for lizards, insects and small mammals.
Merlin
Not all falcons need to be large to be fearsome, and the Merlin proves that. Smaller than a crow, Merlins are nonetheless skilled predators of songbirds and shorebirds – including birds like Mourning Dove that are nearly as large as the Merlin itself. These falcons, with their dark blue backs and striped breasts, are found across the Northern Hemisphere, and in the United States spend the year migrating between the boreal forests in the north and the near tropics.
American Kestrel
The colorful American Kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in America, often found perched on fences or telephone poles by farm fields. Orange-backed and blue-capped, these lovely birds hunt mostly for grasshoppers and other large insects, but also take small mammals and songbirds.