Fun Barbary Falcon Facts For Kids

Barbary falcons, also known as Falco pelegrinoides, are semi-desert and dry open hill birds. This bird of prey breeds on the coast of Africa, and the Canary Islands, and it is mainly a non-migratory bird.

They are similar to the peregrine falcon, but smaller in size.

The females of the Barbary falcon are known to be larger than the males. This bird species is often incorrectly considered to be a subspecies of the peregrine falcon, which is slightly larger in size, but their differences include their ranges and flight style, along with their plumage.

Falco pelegrinoides belong to the subfamily of Hierofalco, and they have been listed as endangered species in the Republic of Uzbekistan. The females can lay between two and five eggs on cliff ledges.

These birds can be found in North Africa, Middle East, Morocco, Central Asia, in mountains, and foothills since they prefer higher elevations.

They can fly at great heights and they migrate from time to time if their habitat is lost due to climate degradation or deforestation. They are carnivores and feed on almost every living being on the ground.

If you wish to know more about the Barbary falcon, read ahead, and you might want to check out white gyrfalcon facts and lanner falcon facts too.

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Barbary Falcon Interesting Facts

What type of animal is a Barbary falcon?

A Barbary falcon, Falco pelegrinoides, is a type of bird.

What class of animal does a Barbary falcon belong to?

The Barbary falcon belongs to the Aves class of animal as a bird species.

How many Barbary falcons are there in the world?

The total number of Barbary falcons present in the world is unknown since they are distributed across the world in the wild. It is, however, known that their population has been decreasing. However, estimates from 2010 suggest the world's population of the Barbary falcon to be about 5000 mature individuals.

Where does a Barbary falcon live?

The Barbary falcon, Falco pelegrinoides, lives in grasslands, semi-deserts, and dry open hills, plains, and mountainous regions. They lay eggs on cliff ledge nests where they also live with their offspring and spend their time resting.

Sometimes, they also nest in hollows of broken trees or in other large bird's nests in a tree. In some cases, they nest on hilltops and on the ground too.

What is a Barbary falcon's habitat?

Falco peregrinus habitats can be found in various settings including semi-deserts and dry regions, hills and mountains, and so on. The falcon distribution can be seen across places like Morocco, the Middle East, North Africa, and other parts of the world where dry land exists.

They prefer a temperate climate for their survival and places with an abundance of food for themselves.

Who do Barbary falcons live with?

The Barbary falcon, Falco pelegrinoides, is a solitary bird, who prefers to live alone. However, the females tend to live with their offspring when they hatch until they become independent.

How long does a Barbary falcon live?

A Barbary falcon in the wild has a lifespan of up to 20 years, and those in captivity can live up to 25 years.

How do they reproduce?

During the breeding season of the Barbary falcon, falco pelegrinoides, this bird species are quite territorial. Breeding occurs between March and May, and they form monogamous pairs over multiple seasons of breeding.

The males perform displays at cliff ledge nests to attract the females and to show their ownership to other falcons.

Barbary falcons (both sexes) engage in something called 'ledge displays', and the pair will engage in aerial displays prior to laying eggs, involving tight cornering, power-dives, body rolls, and high soaring.

Once they form a pair, they cooperate and the female begin to beg food from the male. Females can lay up to five eggs and this happens in mid-May and they hatch in mid-June.

Barbary falcons lay their eggs in cliff ledge nests or in tall trees, and they usually hatch within 33 to 35 days, and the chicks begin to fly after 35 to 42 days of hatching. They are slow growing birds, and take around three years to be an adult and ready to breed.

The young birds have brown upperparts and streaked underparts, while the adults have paler gray coloration, which allows us to distinguish between the young and adult Barbary falcons.

What is their conservation status?

The conservation status of the Barbary falcon is Not Extinct, and their population is believed to be Vulnerable in the future and Endangered at some point, due to their decreasing and unstable population. They are also on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.

Barbary Falcon Fun Facts

What do Barbary falcons look like?

There are about 19 subspecies of the Barbary falcon, Falco peregrinus, worldwide. These subspecies vary considerably in their size and coloration.

The peregrine falcons have long, tapered wings, and a 13-15 in (33-39 cm) body length, with a wingspan of around 38.5 in (98 cm), along with a short tail. The female birds of this species, like most birds of prey, are larger in size than the male.

There is also a color difference between the youngs and the adults. The adults have paler gray, blue upperparts than the peregrines, with pale underbellies, and a black bar on their backs.

The larger species have a white background color.

They have a black stripe on each cheek, a white face, large dark eyes, with yellow lines across its eyelids and beaks. However, the young birds have brown upperparts and streaked underparts.

This bird species are quite similar to the lanner falcon, but one of the main differences among these peregrine falcons subspecies is their head pattern. A Barbary falcon has a dark crow head pattern, but it is rufous or cream-colored in lanner falcons.

How cute are they?

The Barbary falcon species is quite amusing to watch, but scary due to their carnivorous nature, and because they wouldn't mind feeding on dead remains of humans as well. However, their white color with paler gray-blue upperparts and streaked underparts make them look attractive. However, judging their cuteness by their body coloration can be misleading, as they are scary.

How do they communicate?

Barbary falcons have many vocalizations with which to communicate. They use alarm calls, territorial calls, food calls, and calls between individuals, particularly during the breeding season. They make sounds like kach kach kach or rek rek rek and sometimes with a screeching sound.

How big is a Barbary falcon?

Barbary falcons are 13-15 in (33-39 cm) and are far bigger than the common kingfisher, which is only 6.6 in (17 cm).

How fast can a Barbary falcon fly?

Barbary falcons are known to reach over 200mph during their high speed dive, especially when hunting.

How much does a Barbary falcon weigh?

The weight of a Barbary falcon ranges between 330-720 g.

What are their male and female names of the species?

The male falcon peregrines are called tiercels, whereas the females are simply called falcons.

What would you call a baby barbary falcon?

Baby birds are generally known as chicks, but they are specifically called eyases.

What do they eat?

Their diet consists of insects, snakes, ducks, fish, carrion, rodents, shorebirds, and many other living creatures, as they are purely carnivorous in nature.

Are they dangerous?

These birds are quite dangerous since they tend to be very protective of their habitat and themselves. Anyone approaching them or their nests should be prepared to be attacked by them. They even have the capability to attack and hurt humans, so one must be careful while spotting these birds.

Would they make a good pet?

It is very rare to keep carnivorous creatures as pets, but scientists have kept them in captive to study them. Other than this, it is very uncommon to have them as pets considering their scary nature.

Did you know...

Barbary falcons are medium-sized falcons, which is about the size of a crow.

What is the rarest falcon?

A red-footed falcon is the rarest falcon and has been found, after 40 years, near Trnava (Western Slovakia). It is an endangered species in Slovakia.

Do falcons eat other birds?

Yes, falcons are known to feed on other birds, such as shorebirds, ducks, hummingbirds, pigeons, grebes, and gulls.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly animal facts for everyone to discover! Learn more about some other birds including saker falcon facts and peregrine falcon facts.

You can even occupy yourself at home by coloring in one of our free printable falcon coloring pages.