Pygmy Falcon
Polihierax semitorquatus
Tiny gray-and-white falcon that is similar in size to a shrike, though chunkier. The back is brown in females and gray in males. The white rump is conspicuous in fast, slightly undulating flight, which is very different from that of a typical falcon. Found in arid savanna, where it breeds in the nest of a Sociable Weaver or buffalo-weaver. Often perches up in the open, usually in pairs or small family groups. The call is a fast series of rasps or squeals.
Identification
Adult pygmy falcons are 20 cm (7.9 in) in length and 54 to 76 g (1.9–2.7 oz) in weight.These birds are white-bellied, extending up to the face, with males having grey on their backsides, and females have a chestnut back. There are white "eye spots" on the nape. Juveniles have a brown back, duller than adult females, with a rufous wash on the breast. The flight feathers of the wings are spotted black and white (more black above, more white below); the tail is barred black and white.<p>Their flight style is low and undulating. With regards to the pygmy falcon's similarly small size and similar feather colors, they superficially resemble some species of shrikes.<p>The call is "a high-pitched kikiKIK, repeated" (Kenya) or "a 'chip-chip' and a 'kik-kik-kik-kik'" (southern Africa).
Taxonomy
Genus: Polihierax; Family: Falconidae; Order: Falconiformes.
- Scientific name
- Polihierax semitorquatus
- Authority
- (Smith, A, 1836)
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Falconidae
- Genus
- Polihierax
Range and habitat
The pygmy falcon inhabits dry bush. The subspecies P. s. castanonotus occurs from South Sudan to Somalia and south to Uganda and Tanzania; P. s. semitorquatus occurs from Angola to northern South Africa. This range is estimated to have an area of 2.7 million km2, and the total pygmy falcon population is estimated to be, at its lowest, 100,000 birds, possibly numbering up to one million at its peak.
- Migration
- Resident species
Behavior
Migration pattern: Resident species.
Conservation
Population trend: stable.
- Population trend
- stable
Photos
Distribution
Bird Calls
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