Rabu, 05 Oktober 2016
Animal Behavior
How Falcon gets food?
Falcon, an avivore, is a bird of prey that can be trained to hunt other birds and animals.
These falcons eat small birds, raw meat, and live animals such as mice and rodents. Young falcons are trained in order to hunt and they start by going after dragonflies and other large bugs.
How the animal Protects itself from predators?
Falcons protect themselves from predators by flying high and at fast speeds. With the ability to fly at speeds ranging from 40 to 65 miles per hour, the falcon is rarely prey for other predators
The long, sharp talons on a peregrine falcon also allows it to protect itself against predators. With a brown body and bluish-gray wings, they easily blend in with different surroundings which helps them avoid predators and prey upon other animals.
Falcons are aggressive birds found in different counties throughout the world. The massive birds have the ability to adapt to different habitats though some follow migratory patterns during the winter months. With wingspans of more than 3 feet, the birds can easily catch fish and other birds, even in mid-air. The average female peregrine only weighs 2 to 3 pounds, which is slightly larger than male peregrines. Although small in weight, the birds can dive at speeds of 200 miles per hour, according to the Defenders of Wildlife.
Peregrine falcons have adapted to living in many cities and make use of tall buildings that provide suitable ledges for nesting and depend on the large populations of pigeons and starlings in cities for food. They dive and catch their prey in mid-air. Peregrines have few natural predators.
Peregrine falcons mate for life and breed in the same territory each year. The male courts the female for about one month, using aerial displays. They make a nest, or scrape, on ledges and in small caves located high on a cliff. Some peregrine falcons will use man-made structures such as bridges and skyscrapers to nest.
Sleeping Habits
The peregrine falcon is a diurnal bird. This means they are active during the day and not at night, like owls for example. That does not mean that the falcons sleep all night deep, or that their behaviour cannot evolve.
The falcons regularly wake up during the night. They rotate themselves, move a bit, and go back to sleep. At night they are rarely fed, but it happens. It seems that their nocturnal activity increases with age.
The biggest discovery of the nocturnal behaviour of peregrine falcons, is that they also hunt in the dark! This was first proved by British colleagues at Derby Cathedral at the end of the 2000s. In Brussels, this nocturnal activity was already suspected in 2004. Remains of prey (feathers, carcasses, and skulls) were discovered at the base of the tower, often nocturnal migratory birds. These were indirect findings.
Falcon Gestational Period
How Falcon Gestational Period?
- The eggs are incubated 29-33 days mainly by the female. Sometimes the male incubate the eggs during the day but the female always incubate the eggs during night
- Normally they have 3 to 4 eggs but it can vary from 1 to 5 eggs. The average number of the young one found in the nest is 2.5 while the number that fledge is about 1.5. This may because the occasional production of infertile eggs and various natural losses of nesting
- The offspring remain dependent on their parents up to two months.
- Female falcon can choose when to fertilize their eggs. They can store the female sperm and start fertilize it when they found the safe nest
- The falcon normally nest in a scrape.
- The date of egg laying varies according to the locality, generally February to March on the Northern Hemisphere while July to August on the Southern Hemisphere
Scientific Name and Classification
Familia: Falconidae
Subfamilia: Falconinae
Tribus: Falconini
Genus: Falco
Species: Falco peregrinus
Subspecies: F. p. anatum – F. p. brookei – F. p. calidus – F. p. cassini – F. p. ernesti – F. p. fruitii – F. p. japonensis – F. p. macropus – F. p. madens – F. p. minor – F. p. nesiotes – F. p. pealei – F. p. peregrinator – F. p. peregrinus – F. p. radama – F. p. tundrius
he peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread raptor and one of the most widely found bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area is not always naturally occurring but one widely introduced by humans, the rock pigeon, which in turn now supports many peregrine populations as a prey species.
Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus, or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides. The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the last ice age, therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively small. It has been determined that they are only approximately 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated.
Animal Habitat Information
Animal Habitat Information
From Morocco to Malaysia, Greenland to Greece, Australia to Argentina, and India to Iraq, Peregrine Falcons live and breed on every continent in the world except Antarctica. They are strong, efficient flyers and skilled at catching a variety of prey from small songbirds to large ducks. This versatility allows them to live in almost any type of climate and habitat – and they do!
Deserts, seashores, mangroves, wetlands, tundra, grasslands, dry forests, scrubland, and craggy mountains are places one might find a Peregrine Falcon. The most common factor among these different locations is the presence of good nesting habitat. These falcons like to nest in high cliffs, but in cities, Peregrine Falcons use tall buildings or bridges instead. In the spring, a webcam monitors the daily life of a falcon family nesting on the ledge of a tall building in downtown Boise, Idaho.
Peregrine Falcons once nested almost exclusively on lofty cliffs; they were uncommon residents in populated areas like cities. Now they can often be found atop tall buildings and bridges, sometimes in nesting boxes provided by human friends. These swift hunters need a towering roost to spot their prey. In the wild, Peregrines typically scrape a nest in the dirt of a crag or a cliff, usually near lakes or rivers favored by ducks and other waterfowl. On a building they quickly adapt to a man-made nest box with wall-to-wall gravel. Unfortunately, the urbanized Peregrines face new dangers. Some are confused by skyscraper windows and try to fly through them. They are sometimes slammed into buildings by high winds, forced to land in traffic or injured by flying into power lines.
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