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
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.