Barbary / Peregrine Falcons (1 Viewer)

• www.go-south.org > Birds > Additional information: Falco peregrinus / Falco pelegrinoides - Barbary / Peregrine Falcon - Faucon de Barbarie / Pélerin

Richard Klim said:

White, Sonsthagen, Sage, Anderson & Talbot (in press). Genetic relationships among some subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus L.), inferred from mitochondrial DNA control region sequences. Auk. [abstract]

White 1994 (HBW 2).

PS. "...two areas where subspecies distributions overlap."
Is this suggesting sympatric breeding of subspecies, or just non-breeding ranges?

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For treatment within F. peregrinus, contra Dickinson (2003) see Stresemann & Amadon (1979) and Naoroji (2006). Wink (2000) found support for treating pelegrinoides as a separate species; however, later studies, e.g. Wink et al. (2010) have contradicted this.

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I have just returned from a private tour to Morocco. My targets in Morocco were the large falcons (Lanner, Peregrine and Barbary) and the Atlas Long-legged Buzzard. The birding was focused to the west coast and Atlantic Sahara, but the weather caused some problems. In the desert south of Guelmim it was raining heavily for several days while we were there, and the entire desert was flooding! Still, the trip was a great success, and I manged some incredible encounters with my target birds, one of which is shown above. The Peregrines and Barbarys of this area have been of great interest to me since my first visit in 1991. This time I finally managed to get some material, which may throw some light on the problem. Traditionally several sources claim, that Peregrines and Barbarys occur here side by side (sympatric) without interbreeding, thus proving that they are different species. I have always had a slightly different opinion myself, and now I managed to get some supporting evidence for my ideas. Unfortunately, I cannot elaborate on it any further, as it has to be published first on other forums. Anyway, pictured above is one of my study birds, but which one is it? Is it a Barbary or is it a Peregrine, or is it neither, or perhaps both? Interestingly, it was found at exactly the same site where I had a pair almost on the date 22 years ago, the pair that originally spurred my interest for these Moroccan falcons.

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Richard Klim said:

Incidentally, although Barbary Falcon Falco pelegrinoides was recognised as a distinct species in H&M3, it's lumped with F peregrinus in H&M4 (Dickinson & Remsen 2013):

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MJB said:

Presumably that's Wink, M, A-A El-Sayed and J Gonzalez. 2010. Fortschritte in Erforschung der Phylogenie der Greifvögel und der Fakten. 50 Jahre Orden Deutscher Falkoniere, 22-28?

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Peregrine Falcon Falco peregrinus ... it would not be unreasonable to assume the Socotran population was c30 pairs, ...
The taxonomic position of this isolated island population is unclear. Prior to 1999 both Peregrine Falcon and Barbary Falcon F. pelegrinoides had been recorded (see eg Kirwan et al 1996) but in the subsequent years only birds resembling F. peregrinus were observed. Jennings (2010) considered these to be of the race minor though he also speculated that the Socotran population might turn out to be a new taxon. We have always considered that the birds most resembled minor though more relevant views and photographs are required for a more robust opinion. However examination of a recent photograph of an adult male suggests traits of pelegrinoides (Dick Forsman pers comm). The taxonomic position of these falcons is now the subject of a critical examination of all the photographic and other material from the island (Porter & Forsman in prep).
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Porter, RF & D Forsman. In prep. Comments on the taxonomic position of the Peregrine Falcons on Socotra.

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jalid said:

There is also a long discussion about the species question of Barbary Falcon in White, Cade & Enderson 2013: Peregrine Falcons of the World - both in the introduction and the (sub)species account. My favorite quotation:
"Data, some good and some questionable, support nearly any view one wants to take on the status of these falcons".
Still it seems to me that the authors prefer to lump.

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• calidus – Siberian Tundra Peregrine
• brookei – Mediterranean Peregrine
• tundrius – North American Tundra Peregrine
• babylonicus – Red-naped Shaheen

Gulls, gulls, gulls! On a recent trip to Morocco to study Atlas Long-legged Buzzards and the disputed "atlantis" -form of Peregrine, I paid a short visit also to Agadir fishing port. Busy and bustling with life and action it would be the highlight of a trip for anyone with an interest in gulls (Agadir, Morocco, Jan 10th, 2015)

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Acrocephalus said:

...the disputed "atlantis" -form of Peregrine...

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