From Opus

Falco dickinsoni

Photo by GordonH
Location: Pafuri, Kruger National Park, South Africa

[edit] Identification

27-30cm.

• Dark grey plumage
• Pale head and rump
• Grey, narrow black barred tail with broad subterminal band
• Barred underside of flight feathers
• Yellow cere
• Bare yellow eye skin
• Brown iris
• Dark grey bill
• Female larger

Juvenile

• Grey brown
• Barred flanks
• Green cere and eyering

[edit] Distribution

Sub-Saharan Africa. Southern Tanzania including Pemba, south to northern South Africa and west to southern Angola. Resident.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic.

[edit] Habitat

Low-lying tropical savanna and cultivated land, particularly in floodplains.

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes grasshoppers, lizards, amphibians, bats, rodents and snakes.

Often nests in a scrape in Borassus palms. 1-4 cream, red-brown marked eggs are laid and are incubated by the female for 30 days; the young fledge about 33-35 days later.

[edit] References

Wikipedia

[edit] External Links