Gray Kestrel
Falco ardosiaceus
Medium-sized gray falcon with bright yellow eye-ring and base of the bill. Quite plain, but does show barring on the wings in flight. Found in open woodland and savanna, often in areas with palms. Call is a repeated, vibrating “krrrr.” Similar to Sooty Falcon, but separated by much shorter barred wings and boxy head. Also similar to Dickinson’s Kestrel, but easily distinguished by uniformly gray plumage. Other small falcons do not have gray underparts.
识别特征
It is a fairly small, stocky kestrel with a large, flat-topped head and fairly short wings that don't reach past the tip of the tail when at rest. It is 28–33 cm long with a wingspan of 58–72 cm and a weight of up to 300 grams. The female is 4-11% larger and 5-11% heavier than the male. The plumage of the adult is uniformly dark grey apart from darker wingtips, faint dark streaking on the body and slightly barred flight feathers. The feet and cere are yellow and there is bare yellow skin around the eye. The most similar species is the sooty falcon which has a more rounded head, long wings extending past the tail and less yellow around the eye.<p>Juvenile grey kestrels are browner than the adults with a greenish cere and greenish around the eye. Juvenile Dickinson's kestrels are similar but have a barred tail and a more strongly barred underwing.<p>The grey kestrel is generally silent outside the breeding season but has a shrill, chattering call and a rattling whistle.
分类信息
Genus: Falco; Family: Falconidae; Order: Falconiformes.
- 学名
- Falco ardosiaceus
- 命名信息
- Vieillot, 1823
- 目
- Falconiformes
- 科
- Falconidae
- 属
- Falco
分布与栖息地
It inhabits savannas, open woodland and forest clearings. It favours areas with palm trees, especially near water. It often perches on exposed branches, telegraph poles and wires.<p>It is widespread in West and Central Africa but is absent from densely forested regions including parts of the Congo Basin. Its range extends east to Ethiopia and western parts of Kenya and Tanzania. In the south it reaches northern parts of Namibia and Zambia and vagrants have appeared in Malawi. The total range covers about 12 million km2. In West Africa there is some movement northward in the wet season and southward in the dry season.
- 迁徙
- Resident species
行为
Migration pattern: Resident species.
保护状况
Population trend: stable.
- 种群趋势
- stable
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Oriental Magpie
Pica serica
Conspicuous black-and-white bird with a long tail; wings and tail shine with green and blue gloss in good lighting. A common inhabitant of open and semi-open habitats such as fields and farmlands, often seen perched up on power lines or fence posts. Bulky nests often placed prominently in tall trees or cell towers. Gives loud chattering calls comparable to the noises of an old camera: “chachacha!”
Azure-shouldered Tanager
Thraupis cyanoptera
Large tanager with a strong bill. Pale blue overall with deep-blue patches on the wings. Similar to Sayaca Tanager, but with brighter blue tones to the wings, strong violet blue patches on the wing coverts, and a dark rather than pale area in front of the eye. Found in humid forests, second growth, and forest edges.
Zenaida Dove
Zenaida aurita
Local and often rather wary dove of fairly open coastal habitats, such as beach dunes with desert scrub, overgrown fields, town edges. Resembles widespread Mourning Dove of North America, but slightly stockier, with a shorter and squared tail. Feeds on the ground, but most often seen in flight, which is fast and direct, usually rather low over the treetops. Best field mark is the white trailing edge to the inner part of the wing, usually quite distinct in flight.
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