Falconidae - Bird of the Month July 2013 *

[Duke]

Greater Kestrel - all photos taken in KTP

[Dewi]

Nice pics Duke - you can clearly see the white talons on the Lesser Kestrel.

[Toko]

Hobby

A hobby is a fairly small, very swift falcon with long, narrow wings. There are four birds called hobby, and some others which, although termed falcon, are very similar. All specialise in being superb aerialists. Although they will take prey on the ground if the opportunity presents itself, most prey is caught on the wing: insects by hawking, birds are flown down: even swifts and swallows often cannot outpace or outmaneuver a hobby.
The typical hobbies are traditionally considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis due to their similar morphology: they have ample amounts of dark slaty grey in their plumage; the malar area is black and the underside usually has lengthwise black streaks. The tails are all-dark or have only slight bands.
Monophyly of Hypotriorchis is supported by DNA sequence data. Their relationship to the Peregrine Falcon group and the kestrels is not well resolved, however; taxa like the Red-footed Falcon appear in some respects intermediate between the kestrels and the typical hobbies.

Southern African species:
Eurasian Hobby (Falco subbuteo)
African Hobby (Falco cuvierii).
Sooty Falcon (Falco concolor) of the North African desert.
Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae) occupies the Mediterranean area during the northern summer, and migrates south to Madagascar for the southern summer.

[Toko]

Eurasian Hobby Falco subbuteo



Description
The Eurasian Hobby is a small, slender falcon with a relatively long, square tail, and long, scythe-like wings, giving it the appearance of a large swift in flight. The upperparts and crown are slate grey, while the underparts are whitish or buff, heavily streaked black, with distinctive chestnut thighs and vent, and barred underwings and undertail. A pale throat and pale, double-peaked cheeks contrast with a bold, dark ‘moustache’, and there is a short, thin white streak above the eye. The legs and facial skin are yellow. The male and female Eurasian hobby are similar in appearance, while the juvenile can be distinguished by the browner, more mottled plumage, buff rather than chestnut thighs and vent, and bluish-grey to greenish legs and facial skin.
It resembles the female Amur Falcon. But female and juvenile Amur Falcon have a small white forehead patch, a pale grey crown and paler underwing coverts. African Hobby also resembles Eurasian Hobby but is smaller and has an unstreaked, rufous breast and underparts.

Size
Length: 28 - 36 cm
Wingspan: 69 - 84 cm
Male weight: 131 - 232 g
Female weight: 141 - 340 g

Distribution and habitat
The Eurasian Hobby occurs across Africa, Europe and Asia. Subspecies Falco subbuteo subbuteo is found in northwest Africa and Europe, east through central Asia and northern China, as far as Kamchatka and Japan, while Falco subbuteo streichi is found in southern and eastern China, and possibly into South East Asia. F. s. streichi is mainly sedentary, but F. s. subbuteo is migratory, wintering in central and southern Africa and southern Asia.
This is a fairly widely distributed nonbreeding migrant to southern Africa. But unlike most other wide-ranging Palearctic migrants, the Eurasian Hobby is generally uncommon. It is found most frequently in northern Namibia and Botswana, Zimbabwe, the northern and eastern Transvaal and Swaziland. Vagrant in KwaZulu-Natal, the eastern and southern Cape Province and the central Transvaal. It is most frequently encountered in woodland areas. It generally prefers open moist woodland and forest edges, sometimes moving into more open habitats to forage, such as coastal dunes and maccia-covered slopes, also occupying suburban areas.The highest reporting rates were in the Eastern Zimbabwe Highlands, Miombo, the Okavango and Northern Kalahari.

Movements and migrations
It arrives in southern Africa from early October onwards. The first birds arrive in Zimbabwe about 10 weeks before reaching the southernmost parts of the
region. In the far southwestern Cape Province, however, arrival times apparently vary widely (late October to mid-February) between years. Departure is more uniform, the last birds leaving from all regions in late March or early April. Movements within southern Africa may be linked to rainfall; the species appears after good rains which stimulate the emergence of large swarms of alate termites, a favoured food item in Africa.

Feeding
It hunts on the wing, often at dusk, using its rapid and acrobatic flight to out-manoeuvre even the most agile prey. The diet consists mainly of flying insects, which are usually eaten in flight, as well as small birds, particularly swallows, martins and swifts. Other prey, such as bats and lizards, are also occasionally taken, and the hobby often follows fires or farm vehicles, which flush out prey. It often associates with other raptors feeding on similar prey, especially emerging termites.

Reproduction
Breeding takes place relatively late in the year, usually from late May to August, allowing the Eurasian Hobby to feed its chicks on an abundance of dragonflies and fledgling birds. During courtship, the breeding pair may perform spectacular aerial food-passes,in which the male passes prey to the female at lightning speed. Two to four eggs are laid, in the disused nest of another species, almost always in a tree. Incubation, which lasts from 27 to 33 days, is mainly performed by the female, while the male hobby does most of the hunting. The young leave the nest at 28 to 34 days, and are dependent on the adults for a further 5 weeks.

[nan]

Eurasian Hobby/Faucon Hobereau
"my" little pond, Switzerland

[Duke]

Thanks nan

Eurasian Hobby on the S99 near Punda Maria.

[Duke]

The Amur Falcon is an amazing bird and has the longest migration for a raptor from its breeding grounds in Siberia and Mongolia to Southern Africa. They spend October to March in Africa and return to Sibreria/Mongolia from April. In Kruger you can see them in numbers north of Lower Sabie on the h10 and especially on the S128



Until recently the flight path of the Amur Falcons was not known exactly. In January 2010 10 birds were fitted with transmitters to give an idea of their route during migration. The Amur Falcon has the longest migration fligt for a Raptor and it comes to Africa by one route and returns by a slightly different route to Mongolia/Russia.

95773 is one such Amur Falcon see the links below

Here and here

There have been attempts to plot the transcontinental migration, but all ornithologists have been able to rely on are odd sightings through east Africa and the Middle East. Whole legs of the journey have been missing. Now we have a better idea of the route



Between December and March every year, an estimated 26 000 Amur Falcons take up residence in the tall pine trees that line Allen Street, a major thoroughfare through the town of Newcastle, South Africa

Amur Falcons Roosting Site in Newcastle, South Africa.





It is really worth a trip to Newcastle to see this Amur Falcon Roost





In Kruger however, they do not reach such numbers but still it is a spectacle to watch them. There could be twenty to thirty roosting in one tree and they take off as one when you come close up.

Only one of the 10 falcons is still alive, 95778.

the amazing 95778

As at December 2012 she had done 75000 km and if she gets back to Mongolia just about now she would have clocked 90000km

it is a fascinating journey they make considering that thousands get killed along the way - see link below. The conservationists were quick to show outrage though and hopefully will stop the killing this year.

Look here

Photos taken around Newcastle

[nan]

Flutts, some are also in Kruger
I hope you will see one... because very beautiful birds

[Amoli]

This is the first Amur Falcon I saw - taken at Orpen entrance gate

[Amoli]

Amur Falcon Male – taken in KNP



Amur Falcons – taken in Rietvlei