Falcon
[7][8] Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene.[9] Adult falcons have thin, tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and change direction rapidly.Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers, which make their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing.As with hawks and owls, falcons exhibit sexual dimorphism, with the females typically larger than the males, thus allowing a wider range of prey species.[10] As is the case with many birds of prey, falcons have exceptional powers of vision; the visual acuity of one species has been measured at 2.6 times that of human eyes.The word arose by mistaken division of Old French un niais, from Latin presumed nidiscus (nestling) from nidus (nest).[24][25] Given the distribution of fossil and living Falco taxa, falcons are probably of North American, African, or possibly Middle Eastern or European origin.They represent taxa with, usually, more phaeomelanins, which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of hawks.The malar-striped kestrels apparently split from their relatives in the Gelasian, roughly 2.0–2.5 million years ago (Mya), and are seemingly of tropical East African origin.[37] The Eocene fossil "Falco" falconellus (or "F." falconella) from Wyoming is a bird of uncertain affiliations, maybe a falconid, maybe not; it certainly does not belong in this genus.
Falcon (disambiguation)Falcons (disambiguation)Late MioceneBrown falconVictoriaScientific classificationEukaryotaAnimaliaChordataFalconiformesFalconidaeFalconinaeLinnaeusType speciesFalco subbuteoSynonymsCuvierStrickland(unjustified emendationpreoccupiedSclaterSharpeReichenowOberholserDe VisRichmondbirds of preyspecieshobbieskestrelsAntarcticaEoceneflight featherssubfamilycaracaraseaglesAccipitridaetalonsgyrfalconpygmy falconsexual dimorphismvisionvisual acuityhuman eyesPeregrine falconsCarl Linnaeustenth editionSystema NaturaemerlinLate LatinMiddle EnglishOld FrenchBritish spellingAmerican spellingfalconryfossilMioceneparrotssongbirdsAmerican kestrelgreater kestrelsterrestrialvertebratesinvertebratesrodentsreptilesinsectsmorphsevolutionaryplesiomorphichierofalconphaeomelaninscladescytochrome bsequenceGelasianapomorphiesmandiblemonophyletichybridizationmorphologysyrinxphylogenyprairie falconbiogeographicallyevolutionary radiationHolarcticEarly Plioceneaplomado falconPlioceneZancleanPiacenzianMalagasy kestrelSeychelles kestrelMauritius kestrelSpotted kestrelNankeen kestrelCommon kestrelRock kestrelGreater kestrelFox kestrelLesser kestrelGrey kestrelDickinson's kestrelBanded kestrelRed-necked falconRed-footed falconAmur falconEleonora's falconSooty falconBat falconOrange-breasted falconEurasian hobbyAfrican hobbyOriental hobbyAustralian hobbyNew Zealand falconGrey falconBlack falconLanner falconLaggar falconSaker falconPeregrine falconTaita falconRéunion kestrelextinct