Eurasian Hobby

Eurasian Hobby looks all about speed and precision, with a slim shape that seems made for fast air-chases. Long pointed wings and a stretched tail give it a sharp, agile silhouette overhead.

It is usually quiet, but when disturbed it lets out a harsh, sudden call. In flight it flicks through quick wingbeats and short glides, and it takes prey almost entirely on the wing.

It fits open, mixed landscapes rather than deep forest, using woodland edges, light woods, steppe, farmland, and other places where trees break up open ground. It feeds on large insects and small feathered prey, and most populations migrate south for winter.