Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus
STANFORD LOCATIONS:

Rarely seen on campus.
Similar Species: Peregrine Falcon
Nest
Location
Nest
Type
Eggs
Mating System
Dev.
Parental Care
Primary &
2ndary Diet
Foraging
Strategy
F -M
I: 29-33 DAYS
SEMIALTRICIAL 2
30 feet - 40 feet
(20 feet - 400 feet)
CREVICE
4-5
(2-7)
MONOG
F: 35-42 DAYS
MF
SMALL
MAMMALS
INSECTS
LIZARDS
LOW
.......PATROL
BREEDING: Open habitat in mountainous regions, shortgrass prairie, alpine tundra. 1 brood.
DISPLAYS: Male performs aerial gymnastics, cutting parabolas and calling in front of perched female; she calls, occ joins flight. Male also struts on nesting ledge.
NEST: On cliff ledge, occ in rock crevice, always facing open habitat. Usu unlined. Rarely use earthen bank.
EGGS: White/pinkish-white, marked with browns. 2.1" (52 mm).
DIET: Can overtake most birds directly, flushing ground dwellers by flying low, but also hovers and stoops for other prey.
CONSERVATION: Winters s to Baja, n Mexico. Some eggshell thinning and mercury poisoning reported (accumulated esp from taking seed-eating Horned Lark). Declining in UT, w Canada, and agricultural CA.
NOTES: Weak nest site tenacity. Clutches smaller in e portion of range. In nest defense, male circles above, female leaves nest only as last resort. Parental care of young continues after fledging. Female ca. 33% larger than male. With lighter wing loading, outflies Peregrine at high altitude.
ESSAYS: Raptor Hunting; Size and Sex in Raptors; Conservation of Raptors; Wing Shapes; Metallic Poisons; Site Tenacity.
REFERENCES: Allen et al., 1986; Cade, 1982; Enderson, 1964; Marti and Braun, 1975.

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Except for Stanford Locations, the material in this species treatment is taken, with permission, from The Birder's Handbook (Paul Ehrlich, David Dobkin, & Darryl Wheye, Simon & Schuster, NY. 1988).