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Australian Wildlife

  Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis)





Australian Hobby | Falco longipennis photo
Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis) Pikedale, S. Queensland, Australia

Image by Aviceda - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)

Australian Hobby | Falco longipennis photo
Australian Hobby (Falco longipennis) Samsonvale Cemetery, SE Queensland, Australia

Image by Aviceda - Some rights reserved.    (view image details)







AUSTRALIAN HOBBY FACTS

Description
The Australian Hobby is smaller than the related Peregrine Falcon. It is dark slate-blue above with dark head. It has white or creamy brown forehead, throat and side of the neck. The underside is rufous brown. The bill is blue-grey with black tip. The cere and eye ring are yellow. Immatures have rufous chest streaked with darker brown, with grey eye ring and cere (no yellow markings on beak or around eye).

Other Names
Little Falcon

Size
35cm, wingspan 83cm

Habitat
open country with large trees, along roads, watercourses with tall trees, over parks and gardens

Food
small birds, small mammals, some insects. Swoops on prey from above using its hooked talons to grab it.

Breeding
Builds a nest made from sticks at top of tall tree. Lays 2-4 eggs with heavy red-brown markings.

Range
found throughout Australia, fairly uncommon

distribution map showing range of Falco longipennis in Australia

Credits:
Map is from Atlas of Living Australia website at https://biocache.ala.org.au licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License.



Classification
Class:Aves
Order:Falconiformes
Family:Falconidae
Genus:Falco
Species:longipennis
Common Name:Australian Hobby

Relatives in same Genus
  Brown Falcon (F. berigora)
  Nankeen Kestrel (F. cenchroides)
  Peregrine Falcon (F. peregrinus)
  Black Falcon (F. subniger)