Fantastic Falcons: Streamlined, Superfast Raptors in Many Avatars

These streamlined superfast raptors have us awestruck since time immemorial and hold the world speed record for the fastest-moving living creatures. Of the 40+ species found worldwide (except the Antarctic), around 15 are in India. These range from the diminutive, collared falconet (Microhierax caeulescens) measuring 18 cm and hunting large insects to the glamorous peregrine (Falco peregrinus) at 38-49 cm that will take out waterfowl, pigeon, and even larger birds. Astonishingly, their closest relatives are not other raptors but parrots and songbirds (ironically, these birds form much of their diet). Identifying them in the field can often be difficult as they look confusingly alike and come in various avatars depending on their ages. We’ll meet a few of the more prominent species here.

Common kestrel

The common kestrel (Falco tinnuculus) at 32-35 cm is a brick-red falcon with a grey head. It is beautifully marked with black barring (markings) on its wings and body and can be found hovering over fields and open country as it scans the ground for large insects, frogs, and lizards. A resident bird, it breeds in the Himalayas and the Western Ghats. It is always a treat to watch it as it hovers over potential prey, parachuting down lower and lower before finally pouncing.

Red-necked falcon

The red-necked falcon (Falco chicquera), aka red-headed merlin, at 31-36 cm, is also a resident and is reversely coloured, having a reddish head and grey body (with barring across a whitish chest). It’s a dasher — flying swiftly after prey, usually small birds on the wing. These birds hunt in pairs, one doing the chasing and the other the ambushing. 

Amur falcon

The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small falcon. Gents are sooty grey on top, ashy-white on the breast, while the ladies are dark brownish grey, with white undersides marked with black arrowheads. This bird is mostly a passage migrant who has shot into fame in the last decade. Thousands that flew to the Northeast (Nagaland) from Eastern Siberia for rest and recreation en route to South and East Africa were shot, killed, and eaten by hunters until their numbers seriously declined. Environmentalists and NGOs managed to persuade the locals that the birds were better alive (because they attracted hordes of tourists and birders) than dead. They emphasised the birds’ remarkable migration pattern, and the tide began to turn. Now they are fiercely protected by the same people in whose cooking pots they once ended up. 

Laggar falcon

Among the larger falcons is the laggar (Falco jugger) at 43-46 cm. It is an all-India resident (excluding the Northeast and east), dressed in dark brown, with a rusty crown and very fine black moustache stripe. Pairs keep watch from their favourite posts over open country and then fly low and swiftly at their prey, usually rodents, lizards, or small birds, taking them on the ground. They’ve been known to hang out in high places (like clock towers) in towns and even to poach birds brought down by hunters. Unlike their cousins, the peregrines, they are not known to make high-speed dives to conquer!

Peregrine and shaheen falcons

The peregrine (the name means wandering falcon) and its close cousin, the shaheen (Falco peregrinus peregrinator), ranging between 38 and 48 cm, are surely the superstars of the falcon kingdom. Their bullet heads, streamlined bodies, and fastback wings are designed for sheer speed. While the peregrine is a winter migrant, the slightly smaller shaheen is a resident that held the Mughal emperors in their thrall. The sport of falconry — wherein these magnificent birds were trained to bring down or flush out other birds — goes back 3,000 years.

The peregrine has a dark slaty-grey head, faint salmon tinted or white breast, heavily marked with arrowheads, especially towards the lower end and thighs, and a dark moustache-like stripe. Different authorities have variously described the shaheen. Some say it is lighter grey overall with a black or rufous head with pale pink or whitish breast — identifying these birds in the field is not easy.

The peregrine is a cosmopolitan hunter — even found nesting on skyscraper ledges in New York City and other metropolises, from which vantage point it picks up pigeons. The shaheen has been observed doing the same in Mumbai. Having selected a victim, the peregrine, with its fastback wings gives swift chase, with the pigeon twisting and turning to avoid being caught. If the falcon fails to capture its prey, it will rise to its “pitch” (the highest point) and then fold its wings to its side and whistle down like a missile straight at its victim in a “stoop” or high-speed dive. The fastest stoop has been clocked at 390 kmph, faster than most Formula 1 racing cars, which peak at around 320 kmph. A special membrane protects its eyes from the rush of air, and the bird will often dive beneath its victim and then rise up and grasp it in its talons. Or it simply attacks from behind, the force of the impact often killing the bird mid-air. Watching a peregrine stoop is a never-to-be-forgotten experience. This guided missile of a bird was once in serious trouble in the West when the rampant use of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides caused their numbers to plummet. Thanks to conservation efforts, the birds seem safe for now.

As with most raptors, the ladies are usually larger than the gents, and pairs often hook up for life. Despite their fierce demeanour, they are relatively easy to train to sit on the wrist of their minders, and to wait and watch until game birds are flushed before zooming after them. They’ve been used to keep airfields clear of birds and were trained to bring down homing pigeons carrying secret messages during World War II.

J A Baker’s classic ‘The Peregrine’ published in 1967 evocatively describes how this magnificent bird can become a total obsession; it’s a book no lover of literature or birds must miss reading. As a salutation to this hypnotically mesmerising bird, nothing else I have read comes even close.