![]() ![]() It is also almost ludicrously saturated with contrasting colours of the rainbow. The Red-necked Falcon is a little mighty Mouse of a Falcon. Image by Simon Thomsett and Laila Bahaa-el-din The Red-necked Falcon is a little mighty Mouse of a Falco. But this is not always the case, as the African Hobby is often encountered in human-dominated landscapes and will use nests built by crows in tall gum trees. The African hobby is very rare and concern for this should include those wider habitat changes that have affected most of Kenya's landscapes. Small resident falcons in Kenya are the African hobby and Red-necked Falcon. On occasion they will depart from feeding on flying ants and take birds as large as larks and small doves. The Sooty Falcon and its near cousin, the Eleonora's Falcon, stand out as larger and more rapacious Falcons. It also instils of vast sense of responsibility in us, for all that is needed to kill off most of Eurasia’s small falcons, is one careless application of lethal pesticides. To stand in the rain and to see literally thousands of falcons feasting overhead, that have appeared from nowhere, and will vanish the next day, is one of the most memorable spectacles conceivable. This deluge of small falcons racing about the sky usually occurs with falling rain when flying ants leave the Earth. The much rarer Red-footed Falcon only occasionally makes an appearance. Among them will be seen the Common kestrel, the Eurasian Hobby, the Sooty and Eleonora's Falcon, and sometimes in very large numbers the Amur Falcon. If conditions suit them, they will stay, but if thunderclouds beckon them to move on, many will go as far as South Africa before returning to Spain and Europe to breed. The lesser Kestrel visits Kenya in flocks of thousands, outnumbering all our resident raptors while it feeds on the produce of recent rains. Just why it is so uncommon may be explained by competition with much larger falcons on cliff faces. It is seldom alone and often busy with feeding its chicks. It is a wonderfully cheeky little Falcon, always querulous, and making a theatrical fuss over Intruders. It is found only on rough, rocky cliffs in arid lands, sometimes of an unimpressive height. But it is only a cliff nester in Kenya and, unlike kestrels worldwide, in Kenya it is quite uncommon. The mountain kestrel is Kenya’s typical Kestrel, the one that most resembles the common kestrel of Eurasia. The Fox Kestrel utilizes potholes in cliff faces in the arid north of Kenya. The Greater Kestrel prefers the flat open plains and grasslands and will use the nests of Cape Rooks to breed. Other than their pale eyes (as adults) they are clearly kestrels. The large Greater Kestrel and Fox Kestrel are more powerful. The Grey Kestrel in particular, is a fast and adaptable hunter, taking mostly insects and lizards, but when required it can fly down birds, as would a Merlin. They hover and prey on mostly insects and rodents.īut Africa has some old kestrels such as the stocky Grey Kestrel and the aforesaid Dickinson's kestrel that do not fit the profile at all. The kestrels are usually defined by being small (dove sized), comparatively long tailed birds with a reddish plumage. The Dickinson's kestrel is known from a few records in Kenya, some of which are dubious. The Rock Kestrel is now separated as a species and occurs in only Southern Africa. The diminutive Merlin only just wanders into North Africa from Europe and Asia. Some falcons such as the Peregrine, Barbary and Taita Falcon are contenders for the fastest animals on Earth, reaching speeds of some 270 mph or 437 km per hour. Ranging in size from the tiny pygmy Falcon to the medium size Saker Falcon, some are powerful enough to catch large pigeons and even guinea fowl and hares.įalcons differ greatly from hawks, buzzards and eagles (fellow birds of prey) and recent DNA work places them closer to parrots! They all share long pointed wings, medium to short tails, bare legs, short bills with a tooth-like notch, round nostrils, liquid brown eyes and a neat moustachial stripe, rather like a cheetah’s tear stripe. We are home to some 12 falcons and 11 small falcons and kestrels. The fine representations of Horus in hieroglyphics, murals and sculpture show him to be a Barbary Falcon.Īfrica then, has led the world in exalting Falcons. The Egyptian Sun God Horus is the oldest venerated raptor on Earth, adopted later as a Greek God. Falconers have perfected hunting with skills that are handed down through generations, aircraft engineers have studied their flight and one falcon was even given God status. They may not be eagle sized but they have, from the very beginnings of civilisation, captured the imagination of man. ![]()
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