Black Falcon
英文名：Black Falcon（学名：Falco subniger），是隼形目隼科的鸟类。45–55 厘米；翼展可达 1.2 米。雌鸟较大。体型大、烟褐色的隼，双翅宽而尖，尾长而圆；有力的近白色腿/脚部分被长而近黑色的“裤子”遮盖。老鸟额和喉转为近白色，初级飞羽基部和尾下覆羽具细白色横斑。幼鸟：羽缘较浅。单只、成对、家族群：常见于开阔地带；栖于围栏柱、枯树上；头小、肩宽，姿态略显蜷缩。飞行时振翅轻松而浅，双翅尖而宽，随意下垂，“腕部”最宽；后缘平直。黑色翼下覆羽与飞羽和尾羽下表面对比不明显。飞行中尾通常收拢呈窄形，但展开时显得宽大；注意其诊断性特征——每侧尾角均有小缺刻。在被驱赶的羊群、猎鹑者、收割机械上空盘旋，等待鹌鹑、鹨被惊起；以惊人的速度追尾或“俯冲”。常掠夺其他猛禽的猎物。
Black Falcon
45-55 cm; span to 1.2 m. Female larger. Big, sooty brown falcon, with broad, pointed wings and long rounded tail; strong whitish legs/feet part-hidden by long, blackish 'trousers'. Old birds acquire whitish forehead and throat, fine whitish barring on base of primaries and undertail-coverts. Juvenile: paler feather margins. Singles, pairs, family parties: usually seen in open country; perches on fence-posts, dead trees; looks small-headed, broad-shouldered, rather crouched. Flies with easy, shallow beats of sharply pointed, casually drooped broad wings that are widest at 'wrists'; trailing edge straight. Black wing linings show little contrast with underside of flight and tail feathers. Tail usually held narrowly folded in flight; but when fanned, looks large and ample; note diagnostic small notch at each corner. Circles over driven sheep, quail-shooters, harvesting machines, waiting for quail, pipits to flush; tail chases or 'stoops' at astonishing speed. Often pirates prey from other raptors.
- Similar Species
- Brown Falcon, dark morph; Black Kite.
- Voice
- mostly silent: guttural cackling, thin whining noises near nest.
- Habitat
- plains, grasslands, foothills, timbered watercourses, wetland environs; crops; occasionally over towns and cities.
- Breeding
- June-Dec., in old (or usurped) nest of other raptor or corvid.
- Eggs
- 3-4 (5); reddish white, freckled, spotted, blotched red-brown.
- Range & Status
- e. inland Aust.; migrates to coastal se. Aust. (and sparsely into s. WA) in late summer-autumn; coastal n. and ne. Aust. in winter. Uncommon. Nomadic; dispersive. Vagrant NZ.
