|
AUSTRALIAN HOBBY FACTS |
Description
The Australian Hobby is smaller than the related Peregrine Falcon. It is dark slate-blue above with dark head. It has white or creamy brown forehead, throat and side of the neck. The underside is rufous brown. The bill is blue-grey with black tip. The cere and eye ring are yellow. Immatures have rufous chest streaked with darker brown, with grey eye ring and cere (no yellow markings on beak or around eye).
Other Names
Little Falcon
Size
35cm, wingspan 83cm
Habitat
open country with large trees, along roads, watercourses with tall trees, over parks and gardens
Food
small birds, small mammals, some insects. Swoops on prey from above using its hooked talons to grab it.
Breeding
Builds a nest made from sticks at top of tall tree. Lays 2-4 eggs with heavy red-brown markings.
Range
found throughout Australia, fairly uncommon
Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.
Classification
| Class: | Aves | | Order: | Falconiformes | | Family: | Falconidae | | Genus: | Falco | | Species: | longipennis | | Common Name: | Australian Hobby |
Relatives in same Genus
Brown Falcon (F. berigora)
Nankeen Kestrel (F. cenchroides)
Peregrine Falcon (F. peregrinus)
Black Falcon (F. subniger)
|
|
