Eleonora's Falcon

Fascinating facts about the Eleonora's Falcon

• Ten percent of the world's Eleonora's falcons nest on a single tiny island, and that island hosts 650 breeding pairs. Tilos in the Dodecanese is the breeding area for 10% of the world population of Eleonora's falcons. Six hundred 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.
• A single Eleonora's falcon can fly almost 9,000 km in one direction during its annual migration. The total distance covered during the flight has reached up to 9,000 km (5,600 mi) for a single one-way trip. Satellite telemetry showed the birds travel inland across the Sahara, through equatorial rainforests, and on to Kenya and Mozambique before wintering in Madagascar.
• Males measure 37-43 cm long and weigh 350-390 g, while females are slightly larger at 38.5-45.5 cm and 340-460 g, giving the species a clear reversed sexual size dimorphism. Males vary in length from 37 to 43 cm, females from 38.5 to 45.5 cm, and in weight, males range from 350 to 390 g, females from 340 to 460 g. Their wingspan stretches from a short 84 cm up to 103 cm in large females.
• During breeding season the falcons switch from insects to hunting over 100 species of migrating passerines, capturing roughly two million birds each season, only a tiny 0.02-0.04 % of the total migrants. It is estimated that all Eleonora's falcon colonies combined catch about two million migrating birds in a single breeding season. This, however, only represents 0.02 to 0.04% of the total number of migrating birds. By removing such a small slice, the falcons help regulate prey populations.
• Eleonora's falcons breed in colonies that can hold up to 300 pairs, yet the entire species numbers only about 4,500 breeding pairs worldwide, making each colony crucial for survival. Eleonora's falcons are gregarious. They nest in colonies of up to 300 pairs… The total population is currently estimated at 4,500 breeding pairs. Because they nest close together, disturbances such as motor-boat traffic or poaching can cause reproductive failure, highlighting the need for protected breeding sites.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia
• Animal Diversity Web

At a glance

About the Eleonora's Falcon

As the sun begins to set over the Mediterranean, the Eleonora's Falcon takes to the skies, its sleek, dark silhouette slicing effortlessly through the warm, golden light. With a fluid, almost ethereal motion, it banks and turns, its long, pointed wings beating in a slow, hypnotic rhythm as it pursues its prey, a mesmerizing dance of predator and quarry played out against the vibrant hues of the evening sky. In this fleeting, crepuscular world, the Eleonora's Falcon reigns supreme, a master of the twilight hunt, its very existence a testament to the beauty and wonder of the natural world.

More birds to discover

Browse Feravox