Aplomado Falcons are likened to American Krestels because they’re colorful and they have similar facial patterns. But they are larger and have longer wings and tails.
Male and female Aplomado Falcons appear similar and are slate-gray or brown with lighter patches on their breasts and lower bellies.
They have white heads with bold, thick slate-gray, brown or black stripes on their faces and they have yellow eyerings. Their throats and upper breasts are white, sometimes with some buff and streaks.
They have a darker horizontal band across their bellies. Underneath this dark band, their bellies and flanks are cinnamon-colored.
Their upper parts are slate-gray or brown and their legs and feet are yellow. Their long tails are dark-gray or brown and barred, like the underwings.
While adults have similar characteristics, females are slightly larger than males. Juveniles are browner overall with plenty of streaking on their chest. There are also regional variations between North and South America.
- Falco femoralis
- Length: 15 – 18 in (38 – 46 cm)
- Weight: 9.2 oz (261 g)
- Wingspan: 40 – 48 in (102 – 122 cm)
Range
Aplomado Falcons do not migrate and are resident of Central and South America, Mexico, and into the southern United States.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Aplomado Falcons in open areas with places to perch so they favor desserts, grasslands, prairies, and savannahs. In the United States, they are considered endangered species and are currently being reintroduced but in their other ranges, they are considered as “Species of Least Concern” by the IUCN.
Aplomado Falcons have a varied diet. They eat a lot of insects that they catch and eat while they’re in flight. They also eat lizards and small mammals which they hunt on the ground. But they’re most particularly known for hunting and eating small birds.
When hunting, Aplomado Falcons often work in pairs with one flushing prey from the ground and the other waiting in the air to capture whatever animal is disturbed.
Aplomado Falcon Call:
Nests
Nests of Aplomado Falcons are usually the abandoned nests of other birds that are in a tree or bush. The female lays two to four eggs which both parents incubate for about a month or so.
Fun Fact:
Aplomado Falcons get their “aplomado” name from the Spanish word meaning the gray color of lead.
