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| − | A '''falcon''' is the general name for any bird in the family ''Falconidae''.<ref>http://www.animaltrial.com/falconbird.html</ref> They are known as [[Birds of Prey]], and have been used for [[hunting]] purposes (see [[Falconry]]). Arguably, the most famous is the Perigrine Falcon, clocked at speeds of 90 m/s.<ref>http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/ChrisSantoro.shtml</ref>
| + | '''Falcon''' is the general name for any of 65 species of bird in the family ''Falconidae'', but especially restricted to the 38 species of the genus ''Falco''. Known as [[birds of prey]], falcons are characterized by a bullet-shaped body, pointed wings, and the ability to fly and maneuver at great speed while hunting; one species - the [[Peregrine falcon]] (''Falco peregrinus'') - has been clocked in excess of 200 miles-per-hour while in a dive<ref>http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/ChrisSantoro.shtml</ref>. |
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| | + | Falcons have also been used by man for [[hunting]] purposes (see [[Falconry]]), as well as being a barometer for man's abuse of the environment via habitat destruction and chemical spraying. |
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| | + | ==Species== |
| | + | * [[African hobby]], ''Falco cuvierii'' |
| | + | * [[American kestrel]], ''Falco sparverius'' |
| | + | * [[American merlin]], ''Falco columbarius'' |
| | + | * [[Amur falcon]], ''Falco amurensis'' |
| | + | * [[Aplomado falcon]], ''Falco femoralis'' |
| | + | * [[Australian hobby]], ''Falco longipennis'' |
| | + | * [[Australian kestrel]], ''Falco cenchroides'' |
| | + | * [[Banded kestrel]], ''Falco zoniventris'' |
| | + | * [[Bat falcon]], ''Falco rufigularis'' |
| | + | * [[Black falcon]], ''Falco subniger'' |
| | + | * [[Brown falcon]], ''Falco berigora'' |
| | + | * [[Common kestrel]], ''Falco tinnunculus'' |
| | + | * [[Dickinson's kestrel]], ''Falco dickinsoni'' |
| | + | * [[Eleonora's falcon]], ''Falco eleonorae'' |
| | + | * [[Eurasian hobby]], ''Falco subbuteo'' |
| | + | * [[Fox kestrel]], ''Falco alopex'' |
| | + | * [[Gray falcon]], ''Falco hypoleucos'' |
| | + | * [[Gray kestrel]], ''Falco ardosiaceus'' |
| | + | * [[Greater kestrel]], ''Falco rupicoloides'' |
| | + | * [[Gyrfalcon]], ''Falco rusticolus'' |
| | + | * [[Laggar falcon]], ''Falco jugger'' |
| | + | * [[Lanner falcon]], ''Falco biarmicus'' |
| | + | * [[Lesser kestrel]], ''Falco naumanni'' |
| | + | * [[Madagascar kestrel]], ''Falco newtoni'' |
| | + | * [[Mauritius kestrel]], ''Falco punctatus'' |
| | + | * [[New Zealand falcon]], ''Falco novaeseelandiae'' |
| | + | * [[Orange-breasted falcon]], ''Falco deiroleucus'' |
| | + | * [[Oriental hobby]], ''Falco severus'' |
| | + | * [[Peregrine falcon]], ''Falco peregrinus'' |
| | + | * [[Prairie falcon]], ''Falco mexicanus'' |
| | + | * [[Red-footed falcon]], ''Falco vespertinus'' |
| | + | * [[Red-necked falcon]], ''Falco chicquera'' |
| | + | * [[Reunion kestrel]], ''Falco duboisi'' (extinct, c.1700) |
| | + | * [[Saker falcon]], ''Falco cherrug'' |
| | + | * [[Seychelles kestrel]], ''Falco araea'' |
| | + | * [[Sooty falcon]], ''Falco concolor'' |
| | + | * [[Spotted kestrel]], ''Falco moluccensis'' |
| | + | * [[Taita falcon]], ''Falco fasciinucha'' |
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| | ==References== | | ==References== |
| | <small><references/></small> | | <small><references/></small> |
| | [[Category:Birds of Prey]] | | [[Category:Birds of Prey]] |