Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)

Other Names (World)
Red-footed Falcon, Western Red-footed Falcon

Family
Falconidae (Falcons, Caracaras)

Size
28 - 34 cm
Wingspan: 66 - 77 cm

First Described (Guide)
Linnaeus, 1766

Habitat
Open heaths, cultivated land, steppe and marshland.

Range (Guide)

Albania (P), Algeria, Angola, Armenia (B), Austria (B), Azerbaijan, Belarus (B), Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bulgaria (B) (P), Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, China (mainland) (B), Congo [The Democratic Republic of the], C�te dIvoire, Croatia (Local Name: Hrvatska) (B), Cyprus (P), Czech Republic (B), Denmark (P), Egypt, Estonia (B), Ethiopia, Finland, France (B) (P), Georgia (B) (P), Germany (B) (NB) (P), Greece (P), Hungary (B) (P), Iran [Islamic Republic of], Iraq (P), Israel, Italy (B) (P), Jordan (P), Kazakhstan (B), Kenya, Latvia (B), Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Liechtenstein, Macedonia [The Former Yugoslav Republic of], Malawi, Mali, Malta (P), Mauritania, Moldova [Republic of] (B), Montenegro (B) (P), Namibia, Nigeria, Poland (B), Romania (B) (P), Russia (Asian) (B), Russia (Central Asian) (B), Russia (European) (B) (P), Rwanda, Senegal, Serbia (B) (P), Slovakia (Slovak Republic) (B), Slovenia (P), South Africa, Sudan, Sweden, Switzerland, Syrian Arab Republic, Tajikistan, Tanzania [United Republic of], Tunisia, Turkey (B) (P), Turkmenistan, Ukraine (B) (P), Uzbekistan, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Vagrant to Afghanistan, Bahrain, Belgium, Benin, Central African Republic, Djibouti, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Gibraltar, Ireland, Kuwait, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Netherlands Antilles, Niger, Norway, Portugal, S�o Tom� e Principe, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Somalia, Spain, Swaziland, Togo, United Kingdom, USA, Yemen.

Unknown to Kyrgyzstan.

Eastern Europe, from Estonia and Hungary, east through north-central Asia to extreme north-western China and upper R Lena. Winters mainly in south-western Africa, from Angola, Namibia and northern South Africa through Botswana to Zimbabwe and Zambia.

Population
Estimated population is 300,000 - 800,000 (2010).

Status NT
For more information see BirdLife International Species Factsheet.

Food
Insects, some small birds and frogs.

Voice
A highly vocal 'kew kew kew' in flight.

Xeno-Canto Sound Files (more (59)...)

Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) [XC827952]
by Andr\u00e1s Schmidt from Illmitz, Neusiedl am See District, Burgenland, Austria (call)

Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) [XC770196]
by Michel Veldt from Tiszaf\u00fcred, Tiszaf\u00fcred District, J\u00e1sz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Hungary (begging call, call)

Nest
Usually in an old Rook (Corvus frugilegus) nest. In colonies.

Eggs (Guide)
3 - 4; buff, heavily marked with spots and blotches.

Subspecies
Form a superspecies with Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis), with which has frequently been considered conspecific.

No subspecies.

References
See References.

The Reader's Digest Book of British Birds 1980, 3rd Edition, Drive Publications Ltd ISBN 0 340 25308 8
Birds in Colour Campbell, B., 1960, Penguin Books Ltd
The Pocket Guide to Nest and Eggs Fitter, R.S.R., 1954, Collins
RSPB Handbook of British Birds Holden, P., Cleeves, T., 2002, A & C Black ISBN 0 7136 5713 8
Birds of Britain and Europe Sterry, P., et al., 2001, AA Publishing ISBN 0 7495 3068 5
The Popular Handbook of British Birds Hollom, P.A.D., 1973, H.F. & G. Witherby Ltd ISBN 0 85493 002 7

Files:

JPG files for Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus) - 10 files

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BirdLife International

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