Falcon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

For other uses, see Falcon (disambiguation).

iFalcons

Hybrid white gyrfalcon and saker falcon.

Scientific classification

Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Aves
Order:	Falconiformes
Family:	Falconidae
Genus:	Falco Linnaeus, 1758

Species

About 37; see text.

A Falcon is any of several species of raptors in the genus Falco. The word came from Latin falco, from Latin falx = "sickle" because of the shape of its wings.

[edit] Overview

Falcons have thin pointed wings, which give them speed and the ability to change direction rapidly. Peregrine Falcons, the fastest creatures on Earth, are said to have reached stoop speeds of up to 200 mph.

Young falcons in their first year have longer flight feathers than adults. This makes their configuration more like a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing while they are learning how to fly.

Other falcons include the Gyrfalcon, Lanner Falcon, and the Merlin. Some small insectivorous falcons with long narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which sometimes hover as they hunt for small rodents are called kestrels.

The traditional term for a male falcon is a "tiercel", from Latin tertius, because it is roughly a third smaller than the female.

An eyass is a raptor chick still in its downy stage: the word arose by misdivision of Old French un niais, from Latin presumed *nidiscus, from Latin nidus = "nest". Or it is sometimes used for a falcon which had been taken from its nest before it flew.

The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of prey is known as falconry.

The falcons are part of the family Falconidae, which also includes the caracaras, Laughing Falcon, forest falcons, and falconets.

In February 2005 the Canadian scientist Dr Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian intelligence in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. Falcons were named among the most intelligent birds based on this scale^{[citation needed]}.