Falco eleonorae

Falco eleonorae , Photo: Michael Lahanas

Life-forms

Superregnum: Eukaryota
Cladus: Unikonta
Cladus: Opisthokonta
Cladus: Holozoa
Regnum: Animalia
Subregnum: Eumetazoa
Cladus: Bilateria
Cladus: Nephrozoa
Superphylum: Deuterostomia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Vertebrata
Infraphylum: Gnathostomata
Megaclassis: Osteichthyes
Cladus: Sarcopterygii
Cladus: Rhipidistia
Cladus: Tetrapodomorpha
Cladus: Eotetrapodiformes
Cladus: Elpistostegalia
Superclassis: Tetrapoda
Cladus: Reptiliomorpha
Cladus: Amniota
Classis: Reptilia
Cladus: Eureptilia
Cladus: Romeriida
Subclassis: Diapsida
Cladus: Sauria
Infraclassis: Archosauromorpha
Cladus: Crurotarsi
Divisio: Archosauria
Cladus: Avemetatarsalia
Cladus: Ornithodira
Subtaxon: Dinosauromorpha
Cladus: Dinosauriformes
Cladus: Dracohors
Cladus: Dinosauria
Cladus: Saurischia
Cladus: Eusaurischia
Subordo: Theropoda
Cladus: Neotheropoda
Cladus: Averostra
Cladus: Tetanurae
Cladus: Avetheropoda
Cladus: Coelurosauria
Cladus: Tyrannoraptora
Cladus: Maniraptoromorpha
Cladus: Maniraptoriformes
Cladus: Maniraptora
Cladus: Pennaraptora
Cladus: Paraves
Cladus: Eumaniraptora
Cladus: Avialae
Infraclassis: Aves
Cladus: Avebrevicauda
Cladus: Pygostylia
Cladus: Ornithothoraces
Cladus: Ornithuromorpha
Cladus: Carinatae
Parvclassis: Neornithes
Cohors: Neognathae
Cladus: Neoaves
Cladus: Telluraves
Cladus: Australaves
Ordo: Falconiformes

Familia: Falconidae
Subfamilia: Falconinae
Genus: Falco
Species: Falco eleonorae
Name

Falco eleonorae Géné, 1839
References

Revue Zoologique 2: 105.

Vernacular names
Afrikaans: Eleonoravalk
български: Средиземноморски сокол
brezhoneg: Falc'hun Eleonora
català: Falcó marí
čeština: Ostříž jižní
Cymraeg: Hebog Eleonora
dansk: Eleonorafalk
Deutsch: Eleonorenfalke
Ελληνικά: Μαυροπετρίτης
English: Eleonora's Falcon
Esperanto: Kliffalko
español: Halcón de Eleonor
eesti: Vahemere pistrik
euskara: Eleonor belatza
suomi: Välimerenhaukka
français: Faucon d'Éléonore
galego: Falcón da raíña
עברית: בז חופים
magyar: Eleonóra-sólyom
íslenska: Eyfálki
italiano: Falco della regina
日本語: エレオノラハヤブサ
lietuvių: Akmeninis sakalas
Malagasy: Firasambalala
македонски: Средоземноморски сокол
Malti: Bies tar-Reġina
Nederlands: Eleonora's valk
norsk: Eleonorafalk
polski: Sokół skalny
português: Falcão-da-rainha
русский: Чеглок Элеоноры
slovenčina: Sokol ostrovný
slovenščina: Sredozemski sokol
shqip: Skifteri mbretëror
српски / srpski: mrki soko / Мрки соко
svenska: Eleonorafalk
Kiswahili: Kozi wa Eleonora
Türkçe: Ada doğanı
中文: 艾氏隼

Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest relative, but while they certainly belong to the same lineage, they do not seem to be close sister species.[2][3] The English name and the species name eleonorae commemorate Eleanor of Arborea, Queen or Lady-Judge (Juighissa) and national heroine of Sardinia, who in 1392, under the jurisdiction conferred by the Carta de Logu, became the first ruler in history to grant protection to hawk and falcon nests against illegal hunters.[4][5][6] The genus name falco is from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referring to the claws of the bird.[7]
Description
Perched on a branch in the Balearic Islands

Eleonora's falcon is a bird of prey, 36–42 cm (14–17 in) long with an 87–104 cm (34–41 in) wingspan. It is shaped like a large Eurasian hobby or a small slender peregrine falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body.

There are two colour morphs: The adult dark morph is all sooty brown, with black underwing coverts. The light morph is more like a juvenile Eurasian hobby, but has buff underparts, and also shows the contrast between the black underwing coverts and paler base to the flight feathers. Young birds are also like a large juvenile hobby, but the pale underparts contrast with darker wingtips and wing coverts. The call is a typical falcon kek-kek-kek.
Habitat and distribution

This species breeds on islands in the Mediterranean particularly off Greece (where two-thirds of the world's population breeds), but also in Cyprus, the Canary Islands, Ibiza and off Spain,Italy, Croatia, Morocco and Algeria. Tilos in the Dodecanese is the breeding area for 10% of the world population of Eleonora's falcons. Six hundred and fifty pairs of this species breed on this island according to research conducted by the Hellenic Ornithological Society and the European Union LIFE-Nature program of Tilos. It is rare as a vagrant north of its range. It also lives on the coast of Madagascar and Mozambique.
Migration route

This is a long-distance migrant, wintering in Madagascar. The migration route has been recently discovered and, contrary to previous suggestions, it has been demonstrated by satellite telemetry to be inland through the African continent. Traditionally it has been suggested to be coastal, with birds from the western end of the Mediterranean flying to Suez before flying south down the Red Sea, and across the Horn of Africa. However, recent satellite tracked animals by Spanish and German researchers have demonstrated an inland route through the Sahara Desert, the equatorial rainforests until reaching Kenya and Mozambique. The total distance covered during the flight has reached up to 9,000 km (5,600 mi) for a single one-way trip.
Feeding and breeding

It will take large insects, such as dragonflies, which are transferred from talons to beak and eaten in flight. It has also been recently observed catching and imprisoning small birds, removing their flight feathers and feeding them, sometimes days later, to their young. This is unique among bird species.[8] Occasionally, it was observed as feeding on bats.[9]

This species has a delayed breeding season, in late summer, because it is a specialist hunter of migrating birds which pass through the Mediterranean islands at this time of year. It captures small birds in flight, using its speed and aerobatic skills. Birds spend much time cruising along coastal cliffs with steady wingbeats watching for tired incoming migrants.[10] During a fieldwork study in Mogador Island, Morocco, researchers found that Eleonora's falcons are imprisoning live prey in rock crevices for later consumption.[11] This falcon is unique in that it is one of the few species that breeds during early autumn, feeding its chicks with other migratory birds that are in abundance that period. It is also one of the few falcon species that creates breeding colonies. It nests on coastal cliffs, laying up to four eggs.

References
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Falco eleonorae.
Wikispecies has information related to Falco eleonorae.

BirdLife International (2021). "Falco eleonorae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696442A205714571. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696442A205714571.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
Helbig, A.J.; Seibold, I.; Bednarek, W.; Brüning, H.; Gaucher, P.; Ristow, D.; Scharlau, W.; Schmidl, D.; Wink, Michael (1994). Meyburg, B.-U.; Chancellor, R.D. (eds.). Phylogenetic relationships among falcon species (genus Falco) according to DNA sequence variation of the cytochrome b gene (PDF). Raptor conservation today. pp. 593–599.
Wink, Michael; Seibold, I.; Lotfikhah, F.; Bednarek, W. (1998). "Molecular systematics of holarctic raptors (Order Falconiformes)". In Chancellor, R.D.; Meyburg, B.-U.; Ferrero, J.J. (eds.). Holarctic Birds of Prey (PDF). Adenex & WWGBP. pp. 29–48. Retrieved 20 July 2012.
Charta de Logu Elianora de Arbarèe Capitulos 81-100, Capitulu 87 - De astores
Natura Mediterraneo, Il falco della regina - Falco eleonorae
Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 144, 266. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
Shorter Oxford English dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.
"Fiendish Falcons Keep Birds Prisoner Before Eating Them". IFLScience.
Mikula, P.; Morelli, F.; Lučan, R. K.; Jones, D. N.; Tryjanowski, P. (2016). "Bats as prey of diurnal birds: a global perspective". Mammal Review. 46 (3): 160–174. doi:10.1111/mam.12060.
Walter, Hartmut (1979). Eleonora's Falcon: Adaptations to Prey and Habitat in a Social Raptor. Wildlife Behavior and Ecology series. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ISBN 0-226-87229-7.
"Eleonora's Falcons imprison live birds for a later meal". MahgrebOrnitho.org. 26 August 2015. Archived from the original on June 2, 2023. Retrieved 5 March 2024.