Eleonora's Falcon

The Eleonora's falcon, a medium-sized raptor, presents a graceful silhouette with its long pointed wings, long tail, and slim body, measuring 36–42 cm in length with a wingspan of 87–104 cm. It bears resemblance to a large Eurasian hobby or a smaller, slender peregrine falcon.

Identification Tips

Observers should note the two distinct colour morphs of the adult Eleonora's falcon. The dark morph exhibits a uniform sooty brown plumage with black underwing coverts, while the light morph resembles a juvenile Eurasian hobby with buff underparts and a striking contrast between black underwing coverts and the paler base of the flight feathers. Juveniles appear similar to a large hobby juvenile, with pale underparts set against darker wingtips and wing coverts. The species' call is a distinctive falcon kek-kek-kek.

Habitat

Eleonora's falcon favors the rocky coastal cliffs and islands of the Mediterranean for breeding, with a particular stronghold in Greece, where a significant portion of the global population resides.

Distribution

This falcon is found breeding across Mediterranean islands, including those off Greece, Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Ibiza, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Morocco, and Algeria. Notably, the island of Tilos hosts a remarkable 10% of the world's population. Outside the breeding season, it can be found along the coasts of Madagascar and Mozambique, and it is a rare vagrant north of its typical range.

Behaviour

The Eleonora's falcon is a masterful aerial hunter, preying on large insects like dragonflies mid-flight, and is known for its unique behavior of capturing and temporarily imprisoning small birds, plucking their flight feathers, and later feeding them to their young.

Song & Calls

The vocalization of the Eleonora's falcon is a characteristic falcon "kek-kek-kek," which can be heard during interactions or when the bird is disturbed.

Breeding

Breeding occurs unusually late in the summer to coincide with the migration of small birds, which are the falcon's primary food source during this period. The falcon nests in colonies on coastal cliffs, laying up to four eggs, and is known for its exceptional hunting skills, capturing small birds in flight.

Similar Species

While similar in appearance to the Eurasian hobby and the peregrine falcon, the Eleonora's falcon can be distinguished by its unique breeding behavior and migratory patterns.

Diet and Feeding

The diet of Eleonora's falcon primarily consists of migratory birds and large insects. Its hunting technique involves transferring prey from talons to beak while in flight, and it has been observed to feed on bats occasionally.

Conservation status

The Eleonora's falcon is currently listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, indicating that it is not at immediate risk of widespread decline.