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Prairie Falcon

Falco mexicanus ORDER: FALCONIFORMES FAMILY: FALCONIDAE

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

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Prairie Falcon Photo

A large falcon of the arid American West, the Prairie Falcon hunts medium-sized birds and mammals.

Birds of North America Online
For complete information on this species, visit The Birds of North America Online.

At a GlanceHelp

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

Dry grasslands and prairies, locally alpine tundra; suitable breeding habitat usually requires cliffs for nest sites; in winter, also cultivated fields and lake shores.

Food


Birds

Medium-sized mammals and birds.

Nesting

Nesting Facts
Clutch Size
2–8 eggs
Condition at Hatching
Helpless and covered in down.
Nest Placement

Cliff

Behavior


Aerial Forager

Conservation

status via IUCN

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.

Range Map Help

Prairie Falcon Range Map
View dynamic map of eBird sightings
Project FeederWatch