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The saker falcon has been used in falconry for thousands of years, and like its very close relative, the gyrfalcon, is a highly regarded in it. Swift and powerful, it is effective against medium-sized to large-sized game bird species. [21] Saker falcons can reach speeds of 120 to 150 km/h and suddenly swoop down on their prey. [22]
They are large, black-and-white or completely black, with long wings and deeply forked tails. The males have coloured inflatable throat pouches. They do not swim or walk and cannot take off from a flat surface. Having the largest wingspan-to-body-weight ratio of any bird, they are essentially aerial, able to stay aloft for more than a week.
Most falcon species used in falconry are specialized predators, most adapted to capturing bird prey such as the peregrine falcon and merlin. A notable exception is the use of desert falcons such the saker falcon in ancient and modern falconry in Asia and Western Asia, where hares were and are commonly taken.
The bird that can achieve the greatest airspeed is the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), able to exceed 320 km/h (200 mph) in its dives. [1] [2] A close relative of the common swift, the white-throated needletail (Hirundapus caudacutus), is commonly reported as the fastest bird in level flight with a reported top speed of 169 km/h (105 mph ...
The Altai falcon has been identified as a color morph of the Central Asian saker falcon (Falco cherrug milvipes), as per the latest genetic research (Zinevich et al. 2023). Previously, it was variously classified as a morph, a subspecies ( Falco cherrug altaicus ), and even separate species ( Falco altaicus ).
The Hungarian language word turul meant one kind of falcon and the origin of the word is currently thought to be most likely Turkic (Clauson 1972: 472. [1]) (Róna-Tas et al. 2011:2: 954-56) [2]), which is the language of origin of over 10% of words in modern Hungarian lexicon and the exonym "Hungarian" and the word "Hun".
The breast is streaked in northern birds, resembling greyish saker falcons, but the lanner has a reddish back to the head. Sexes are similar, but the browner young birds resemble saker falcons even more. However, sakers have a lighter top of the head and less clear head-side patterns. The lanner's call is a harsh "wray-e".
Sooty falcon, Falco concolor Temminck, 1825; Merlin, Falco columbarius Linnaeus, 1758; Eurasian hobby, Falco subbuteo Linnaeus, 1758; Lanner falcon, Falco biarmicus Temminck, 1825; Saker falcon, Falco cherrug Gray, JE, 1834 (A) Peregrine falcon, Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771; Ancient Egyptian: its hieroglyphic sign stands for the deity Horus ...