Falcons
Red-footed Falcon
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Falco vespertinus
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How to recognize it
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28–33 cm, like a kestrel; narrow, long wings
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Male dark slate-blue, red legs and undertail
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Female buff, grey back and wings, black moustache stripe
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Hunts over open ground; call "ki-ki-ki"
About the species
The Red-footed Falcon has a brisk, wiry look, with long wings and a manner of flight that feels light and purposeful. Adults can look strikingly different from one another, while young birds are much more subdued.
It hunts on the wing, often pausing in a hover before dropping fast toward prey. It is active by day and into the evening, and in the nesting season it can seem especially lively, with colony life and constant alert calls around the nest.
It stays close to open country with some trees, especially steppe, forest-steppe, and broad edges where old corvid nests are available. It feeds mainly on large insects, while chicks also get small rodents, lizards, and sometimes small passerines; it winters in Africa, returning in spring and leaving breeding areas by late summer.
Where to find
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Along the edges of older city parks and tree-lined boulevards — especially where crow or rook nests sit high in the canopy, Red-footed Falcon is often seen perched nearby.
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By pond edges, canal banks, and riverside promenades — most noticeable above reed beds when it hovers and then drops sharply after large insects.
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Over open lawns and vacant lots with a few scattered trees — it flies low over the grass, scanning for prey before a quick dive.
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On power lines and tall poles at the city’s edge — it perches in the open and watches the fields and rough ground below.
You might also see
Sources
- eBird — Falco vespertinus Sightings map and full description on eBird
- Wikipedia — Red-footed falcon Encyclopedia article