Saker Falcon
Falco cherrug
Large, powerful falcon. Inhabits a range of expansive habitats, from grasslands and mountainsides to open woodlands. Somewhat variable, but always dark "trousers" when perched; the tail extends beyond the wingtips at rest, giving it a “short-winged” appearance. Some birds can appear pale-headed due to light-colored crowns and sparsely-marked faces. In flight, the wings are broad, with dark underwing coverts. Adults have a thin “teardrop” eyeline, whereas juveniles have a thicker one. Compare to similar Gyrfalcon and Peregrine Falcon; note “trouser” color and consistently brown upperparts. Feeds on small mammals and birds.
识别特征
The saker falcon is a large hierofalcon, larger than the lanner falcon and almost as large as gyrfalcon at 45–57 cm (18–22 in) length with a wingspan of 97–126 cm (38–50 in). Males weigh between 730–990 g (26–35 oz) and females 970–1,300 g (34–46 oz). It resembles a larger but browner Prairie Falcon. It is larger and more heavily built than the related Lanner Falcon.<p>Saker falcons tend to have variable plumage. Males and females are similar, except in size, as are young birds, although these tend to be darker and more heavily streaked. The call is a sharp kiy-ee or a repeated kyak-kyak-kyak.
分类信息
This species belongs to the close-knit hierofalcon complex. In this group, there is ample evidence for rampant hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting which confounds analyses of DNA sequence data to a massive extent; molecular studies with small sample sizes can simply not be expected to yield reliable conclusions in the entire hierofalcon group. The radiation of the entire living diversity of hierofalcons seems to have taken place in the Eemian interglacial at the start of the Late Pleistocene, a mere 130,000–115,000 years ago; the saker falcon represents a lineage that expanded out of northeastern Africa into the interior of southeastern Europe and Asia, by way of the eastern Mediterranean region.<p>The Saker Falcon has four officially recognized subspecies in the international ornithology according to IOC World Bird List:<p>Some saker falcons at the northeast edge of the range in the Altai Mountains are slightly larger, and darker and more heavily spotted on the underparts. These, known as the Altai falcon, have been treated in the past either as a distinct species "Falco altaicus" or as a hybrid between saker falcon and gyrfalcon. However, modern opinion (e.g. (Orta 1994)) treats them as a form of saker falcons and new research in population genetics and ecology supports that view. According to a recent study, Altai falcons are genetically intermingled with the broader Asian Saker population and do not constitute a distinct cluster, indicating that they are only colour morphs, and do not represent a separate taxonomic entity.<p>In captivity, lanners and sakers can interbreed, and gyrfalcon-saker hybrids are also available (see bird flu experiment described in "Ecology and status").The specific name, cherrug, comes from the Sindhi name charg for a female saker. The common name saker comes from the (Arabic: صقر, romanized: Ṣaqr) meaning "falcon".
- 学名
- Falco cherrug
- 命名信息
- Gray, JE, 1834
- 目
- Falconiformes
- 科
- Falconidae
- 属
- Falco
分布与栖息地
Breeding range: PAL : plains and mountains of c Europe to c Asia, s Siberia, n China, Himalayas and Tibet. Non-breeding range: s Europe, n, e AF, Iran e to Nepal, n India, and s, c China.
- 繁殖区
- PAL : plains and mountains of c Europe to c Asia, s Siberia, n China, Himalayas and Tibet
- 非繁殖区
- s Europe, n, e AF, Iran e to Nepal, n India, and s, c China
- 迁徙
- Complete migrants
行为
Migration pattern: Complete migrants.
保护状况
Population trend: declining.
- 种群趋势
- declining
照片
分布
鸟叫声
其他鸟类
Pacific Reef-Heron
Egretta sacra
A small heron that hugs rocky coastlines. Light-morph individuals are usually white all over, though some may show patches of gray. Dark-morph individuals are entirely dark gray. Both morphs have a yellowish green bill and legs. Light morph adults are distinguished from egrets in the area by their distinct short-legged appearance and noticeably thicker bill.
Rufous-tailed Hawk
Buteo ventralis
Scarce and often rather local hawk of temperate rainforest and edge, adjacent open and semiopen areas. Looks similar to the Red-tailed Hawk of North America. Hunts from perches, less often in flight. Light morph has dark leading edge to underwing; adult has diagnostic rusty tail with narrow dark bars. Rare dark morph has dark body plumage, adult tail washed grayish; immature has broader, blunter wings than very similar dark-morph immature of Variable Hawk.
Masked Duck
Nomonyx dominicus
Reclusive, rarely seen diving duck of tropical lowlands. Feeds mainly at night and spends much of the day sleeping quietly in marshy vegetation, often in small ponds and even in roadside ditches. Rarely seen in flight, but can spring into the air rather than run along the water. Male in breeding plumage has black face mask, bright blue bill, and dark rusty body. Female-plumaged birds are seen much more often: note buffy face with double dark face stripes.
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