Measurements
Both Sexes
- Length
- 14.6–18.5 in
37–47 cm - Wingspan
- 35.4–44.5 in
90–113 cm - Weight
- 14.8–38.8 oz
420–1100 g
Other Names
- Faucon des Prairies (French)
- Halcon mexicano, Halcon Pradeño, Halcon café, Halcon palido (Spanish)
Cool Facts
- The Prairie Falcon often shares its nesting cliff with Common Ravens, Golden Eagles, and Red-tailed Hawks.
- The Prairie Falcon sometimes bathes in river shallows, but dust-bathing is probably more common than water-bathing, because of the general scarcity of standing water in its habitat.
Habitat
Grassland
Prairie Falcons inhabit grasslands, shrub-steppe, deserts, and other open areas of the West up to about 10,000 feet elevation. During the winter, they also reside in cultivated fields, lakeshores, desert scrub, as well as feedlots where European Starlings may provide a steady food source.
Food
Birds
Prairie Falcons eat large numbers of ground squirrels during the breeding season, as well as birds including Horned Larks, Cliff Swallows, and Mourning Doves, as well as small rodents, lizards, and insects. At high elevations they eat rosy-finches and pikas. During winter ground squirrels are dormant, and birds are a much more important part of this bird's diet.
Nesting
Nesting Facts
- Clutch Size
- 1–8 eggs
- Number of Broods
- 1 broods
- Egg Length
- 1.9–2.2 in
4.7–5.6 cm - Egg Width
- 1.4–1.7 in
3.6–4.3 cm - Incubation Period
- 29–39 days
- Nestling Period
- 29–47 days
- Egg Description
- Creamy, pink, or red-brown speckled with brown; lighter than eggs of other large falcons.
- Condition at Hatching
- Helpless, eyes partially open, covered in white down.
Nest Description
In their cliff nests Prairie Falcons dig out a small scrape to hold their eggs, but don't add nest material.
Nest Placement
Cliff
Most Prairie Falcons nests are on overhanging, south-facing cliffs up to 500 feet high. They also nest in trees, on power lines, on buildings, in caves, or in stone quarries. They sometimes use abandoned nests of other species, such as ravens and Golden Eagles.
Behavior
Aerial Forager
Prairie Falcons forage by swooping at a low angle to surprise prey on the ground, or, less often, by stooping on their prey from high above. They also hunt birds (and sometimes bats) in flight by chasing them or diving through flocks. Flight is rapid and direct with shallow, stiff wing beats. Adults are highly territorial during the breeding season and will attack intruding Prairie Falcons with frequent stoops, loud sounds, and tail chases.
Conservation
Least Concern
Not as badly affected by pesticide era as Peregrine Falcon. May currently be increasing.
Credits
- Steenhof, K. 1998. Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus). In The Birds of North America, No. 346 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.