From Opus

Falco araea

Photo by iainhawk
This is a wild bird that was roosting in a box at the side of a house. Photo taken: Mahe, Seychelles.

[edit] Identification

18 – 23 cm. Upperparts are reddish brown with black spots while the underparts are unspotted and buff. The head and rump are dark blue-grey. The tail is blue-grey with black bars. The bill is dark and the feet and cere are yellow. Females are similar to the males in appearance but are a little larger and paler. Immature birds have a brown, streaked head, spots on the breast and a buff tip to the tail.

[edit] Distribution

Seychelles. Seen mainly on Mahe and Silhouette, rarely also Praslin and La Digue. Resident.

[edit] Taxonomy

Monotypic.

[edit] Habitat

Woodland cultivated land with scattered trees, often perches on buildings.

[edit] Status

Classified as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List due to the small population (Birdlife International, 2008).

[edit] Behaviour

The diet includes small animals such as lizards, frogs, small birds and insects.

It breeds in cliffs, trees and buildings using sticks posed loosely for a nest. 2 – 3 eggs are laid.

[edit] References

BirdLife International (2008) Species factsheet: Falco araea. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21 May 2008.

[edit] External Links