Shaheen Falcon

Shaheen Falcon Latest News

Recently, a pair of Shaheen falcons found nesting in a multi-storey residential complex under construction in Kochi. 

About Shaheen Falcon

• The Shaheen falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator) is a non-migratory subspecies of the Peregrine falcon.
• Appearance
  • The face is characterised by a dark vertical stripe from the eye to the side of the face, which often gives the bird a severe appearance. 
  • The bird has a muscular body — with the female being larger than the male. 
• Habitat: It is found on rocky and hilly regions on cliffs and rock pinnacles.
• Distribution: This small but powerful-looking falcon is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent. 
• These birds have also been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. 
• Food Habits: It eats chiefly birds; occasionally mammals, including bats, rats, rabbits and voles; also insects, reptiles and exceptionally fish. 
• Peregrines are masters of the stoop (their hunting dives that can even exceed 300 kilometres per hour).
• Their bodies are shaped to generate high speeds and turn into a weapon when they go into hunt mode. 

Source: TH

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