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Which Falcon is this? (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter SteveC_07
- Start date
I think you might be right. Prairie Falcon didn't occur to me. Is Prairie Falcon what you were hoping for Steve?
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SteveC_07
Well-known member
Yes. I was pretty sure it was a PF. I know it was too big for Merlin, but was afraid it may have been an immature Peregrine. Somehow I've seen probably 40+ Peregrines in my life, but never a Prairie Falcon. Does anyone know which is more common?
Don't know which is the more common in Kansas, but the tail of your bird seems rather long for a Peregrine.
Wheeler's RAPTORS of Western North America at page 520 notes: "Major winter areas are in e. Colorado, w. Kansas, Texas panhandle,.............." Range map shows all of Kansas as being within the Prairie Falcon's winter range and gives it's status as "uncommon" with 4,300 to 6,000 pairs throughout the Western USA but sparsely distributed. The book devotes 10 pages to the Prairie Falcon-Falco mexicanus.
It devotes 35 pages to the Peregrine Falcon and it's 3 sub species or races and gives it's status as "rare." The range maps show one of the races, "american" has a winter range in eastern Kansas around Topeka. It is designated as "Rare. Was endangered..." There is an awful lot of detailed info on both species in this book.
Get the book: ISBN 0691134774 Paperback (Heavy Stock) $29.95.
Cordially,
Bob
PS: Based on a comparison with photos on pages 524-526, your bird is definitely a Prairie Falcon with it's long narrow Whisker, as Etudiant noted, and sparsely marked chest.
It devotes 35 pages to the Peregrine Falcon and it's 3 sub species or races and gives it's status as "rare." The range maps show one of the races, "american" has a winter range in eastern Kansas around Topeka. It is designated as "Rare. Was endangered..." There is an awful lot of detailed info on both species in this book.
Get the book: ISBN 0691134774 Paperback (Heavy Stock) $29.95.
Cordially,
Bob
PS: Based on a comparison with photos on pages 524-526, your bird is definitely a Prairie Falcon with it's long narrow Whisker, as Etudiant noted, and sparsely marked chest.
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