One of Australia's fastest fliers, taking insects and small birds on the wing with spectacular aerial pursuits.
Not listed
Indigenous: Little Falcon, Duck-Hawk, White-Fronted Falcon, Black-Faced Hawk, Little Duck-Hawk
At a glance
FamilyFalcons and Caracaras
SizeLarge
RarityCommon
HabitatOccurs in a wide variety of open habitats, including urban areas.
Best timeMost reliable in Victoria from January to April.
Sounds
Sound sampleRecorded by Nick Talbot
Range map
Range map
200approx hotspots
69766approx records
7states
Low confidenceMediumHigh confidence
Aggregated occurance data is sourced from 14 different actively-updating datasets including eBird Australia, iNaturalist Australia, BirdLife Australia, and multiple state-based bird surveys through Atlas of Living Australia.
Species notes
Overview
Captures airborne prey, mainly birds. Occurs in a wide variety of open habitats, including urban areas.
Behavior
Black markings cover cheek, eye, and crown (black hood much reduced compared to Peregrine Falcon).
Gallery
Regional timing
New South Wales
Tasmania
Western Australia
Queensland
Northern Territory
Victoria
South Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Commonly confused with
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusAlways look for a grayish back in adults, long wings that almost reach the tail tip, and powerful but slender build. Dark mark below each eye varies in shape and size. Juveniles are more heavily patterned below than adults, and can be quite brownish above. Patterning varies considerably across a wide global range, with back color ranging from pale gray in Central Asian “Red-capped” to slaty-blue across much of northern Eurasia North America, to almost black in Asian “Shaheen.” Chases prey down at high speeds with continuous powerful wingbeats.→Brown FalconFalco berigoraAll have a dark moustache mark, long unfeathered lower legs, and a finely barred tail. Take care to identify dark birds from Black Falcon, which has feathered legs, and a more angular heavy-shouldered appearance. When gliding holds its wingtips up.→Black FalconFalco subnigerOften confused with darker individuals of Brown Falcon, a species with larger, blocky head, unfeathered legs, less pointed wings, and more pronounced tear-drop mark below the eye.→