Falcon 54444 225070108 2008-07-11T19:08:30Z J.delanoy 2372780 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/207.31.33.45|207.31.33.45]] to last version by ClueBot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{otheruses}} {{redirect|Tiercel|other meanings|Tercel}} {{Taxobox | name = Falcons | image = Brown-Falcon,-Vic,-3.1.2008.jpg | image_width = 220px | image_caption = [[Brown Falcon]]<br> ''Falco berigora'' | regnum = [[Animal]]ia | phylum = [[Chordata]] | classis = [[Aves]] | ordo = [[Falconiformes]] | familia = [[Falconidae]] | genus = '''''Falco''''' | genus_authority = [[Carolus Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758 | subdivision_ranks = Species | subdivision = About 37; see text. | synonyms = *''Aesalon''<!-- this might have been given twice: Kaup 1829 and Morris 1837 --> *''Lithofalco''<!-- this might have been given twice: Reider & Hahn 1835 and Bonaparte (unjustified emendation: 1840) --> *''Tinnunculus'' <small>Linnaeus, 1766</small> *''Hierofalco'' <small>[[Frédéric Cuvier|Cuvier]], 1817</small> *''Cerchneis'' <small>Boie, 1826</small> *''Hypotriorchis'' <small>Boie, 1826</small> *''Rhynchodon'' <small>Nitzsch, 1829</small> *''Ieracidea'' <small>[[John Gould|Gould]], 1838</small> *''Hieracidea'' <small>[[Hugh Edwin Strickland|Strickland]], 1841 (unjustified emendation){{Verify source|date=August 2007}}</small> *''Gennaia'' <small>[[Johann Jakob Kaup|Kaup]], 1847</small> *''Jerafalco'' <small>[[Johann Jakob Kaup|Kaup]], 1850 (unjustified emendation)</small> *''Harpe'' <small>Bonaparte, 1855 (''non'' Lacepède 1802{{Verify source|date=August 2007}}<!-- possibly 1803 - print vs publication date? -->: [[Bodianus|preoccupied]])</small><!-- possibly also Harpe Merrem 1818, which would be preoccupied the same way as the name by Bonaparte.--> *''Dissodectes'' <small>[[Philip Sclater|Sclater]], 1864</small> *''Genaïe'' <small>[[Theodor von Heuglin|Heuglin]], 1867 (unjustified emendation){{Verify source|date=August 2007}}</small> *''Harpa'' <small>[[Richard Bowdler Sharpe|Sharpe]], 1874 (''non'' Pallas 1774: [[Harpa (mollusc)|preoccupied]])</small> *''Gennadas'' <small>Heine & [[Anton Reichenow|Reichenow]], 1890{{Verify source|date=August 2007}} (unjustified emendation){{Verify source|date=August 2007}}</small> *''Nesierax'' <small>[[Harry Church Oberholser|Oberholser]], 1899</small> *''Nesihierax'' <small>Dubois, 1902 (unjustified emendation)</small> *''Asturaetus'' <small>[[Charles Walter De Vis|De Vis]], 1906 (non ''Asturaetos'' Brehm 1855: preoccupied)</small> *''Plioaetus'' <small>[[Charles Wallace Richmond|Richmond]], 1908</small> *''Sushkinia'' <small>Tugarinov, 1935 (''non'' Martynov 1930: [[Sushkinia|preoccupied]])<!-- a prehistoric Protozygoptera/Archizygoptera "dragonfly" genus --> - see below</small> }} A '''falcon''' ({{IPA|fɔlkən}} or {{IPA|fælkən}}) is any [[species]] of [[bird of prey|raptor]] in the [[genus]] '''''Falco'''''. The word comes from their [[Latin]] name ''falco'', related to Latin ''[[falx]]'' ("[[sickle]]") because of the shape of these birds' wings. ==Overview== [[Image:FalconHeadBeak.png|thumb|left|Most members of the genus ''Falco'' show a ''tooth'' on the upper mandible]] Adult falcons have thin tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer [[flight feather]]s which makes their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a [[broadwing (bird of prey)|broadwing]]. This is to make it easier for them to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters in their adult configuration. A falcon's wings are shaped like a [[scythe]]. Although common misconceptions of the difference of a [[scythe]] and [[sickle]] are the cause of the misconception of the shape of the falcons wings. [[Peregrine Falcon]]s are the fastest-moving creatures on Earth.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/wildfacts/factfiles/245.shtml| title=Wildfacts - Peregrine falcon| publisher=BBC Science & Nature| accessdate=2008-07-06}}</ref> Other falcons include the [[Gyrfalcon]], [[Lanner Falcon]], and the [[Merlin (bird)|Merlin]]. Some small [[insectivorous]] falcons with long narrow wings are called [[hobby (bird)|hobbies]], and some which hover while hunting for small [[rodent]]s are called [[kestrel (bird)|kestrels]]. The falcons are part of the family [[Falconidae]], which also includes the [[caracara]]s, [[Laughing Falcon]], [[forest falcon]]s, and [[falconet]]s. The traditional term for a male falcon is ''tercel'' ([[UK]] spelling) or ''tiercel'' ([[US]] spelling), from Latin ''tertius'' = [[3 (number)|third]] because of the belief that only one in three eggs hatched a male bird.[http://www.askoxford.com/concise_oed/tercel] [http://www.collins.co.uk/wordexchange/Sections/DicSrchRsult.aspx?word=tercel] Some sources give the etymology as deriving from the fact that a male falcon is approximately one third smaller than the female. A falcon chick, especially one reared for [[falconry]], that is still in its downy stage is known as an ''eyas''[http://www.thefreedictionary.com/eyas][http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/difficultwords/data/d0005484.html] (sometimes spelt ''eyass''). The word arose by mistaken division of [[Old French]] ''un niais'', from Latin presumed *''nidiscus'' ("nestling", from ''nidus'' = [[nest]]). The technique of hunting with trained captive birds of prey is known as [[falconry]]. As is the case with many birds of prey, falcons are renowned for their exceptional powers of vision; one species has been found to have a visual acuity of 2.6 times that of a normal human. <ref>[http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/192/4236/263] ''Science'' 16 April 1976: Vol. 192. no. 4236, pp. 263 - 265 {{DOI|10.1126/science.1257767}}</ref> In February 2005, the [[Canada|Canadian]] [[ornithologist]] [[Louis Lefebvre]] announced a method of measuring avian intelligence in terms of their innovation in feeding habits. The falcon and crow family scored highest on this scale.<ref>[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/nsae-bit021605.php] AAAS Annual Meeting, 2005.</ref> ==Systematics and evolution== Compared to other birds of prey, the [[fossil]] record of the falcons is not well distributed in time. The oldest fossils tentatively assigned to this genus are from the Late [[Miocene]], less than 10 million years ago.{{fact|date=April 2008}} This coincides with a period in which many modern genera of birds became recognizable in the fossil record. The falcon lineage may however be somewhat older than this {{fact|date=April 2008}} and given the distribution of fossil and living ''Falco'' [[taxa]] is probably of [[North America]]n, [[Africa]]n or possibly [[Middle East]]ern or [[Europe]]an in origin. Falcons are roughly divisible into three or four groups. The first contains the '''[[kestrel]]s''' (probably excepting the [[American Kestrel]]<ref>Groombridge ''et al.'' (2002)</ref>); usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upperside color and sometimes [[sexually dimorphic]]; three African species that are generally grey in color stand apart from the typical members of this group. Kestrels feed chiefly on [[Terrestrial animal|terrestrial]] [[vertebrate]]s and [[invertebrates]] of appropriate size, such as rodents, [[reptile]]s, or insects. The second group contains slightly larger (on average) and more elegant species, the '''[[Hobby (bird)|hobbies]]''' and relatives. These birds are characterized by considerable amounts of dark slaty grey in their plumage; the malar area is nearly always black. They feed mainly on smaller birds. Third are the Falcon and its relatives: powerful birds, often the size of small [[hawk]]s, they also have a black malar area (except some very light color [[morph (zoology)|morph]]s), and often a black cap also. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate between the other groups, being chiefly medium grey with some lighter or brownish colours on the upper side. They are on average more delicately patterned than the hobbies and if the hierofalcons are excluded (see below), this group contains typically species with horizontal barring on the underside. As opposed to the other groups, where tail colour varies much in general but little according to [[evolution]]ary relatedness<ref> For example, tail colour in the Common and Lesser Kestrels is absolutely identical, yet they do not seem too closely related (Groombridge ''et al.'' 2002). On the other hand, the [[Fox Kestrel|Fox]] and [[Greater Kestrel]]s can be told apart at first glance by their tail colours, but not by much else; they might be very close relatives and are probably much closer to each other than the Lesser and Common Kestrels.</ref>, the tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark grey with rather inconspicuous black banding and small white tips, though this is probably [[plesiomorph]]ic. These large ''Falco'' feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates, taking prey of up to 5-pound [[sage grouse]] size. Very similar to these and sometimes included therein are the 4 or so species of '''[[hierofalcon]]s''' (literally, "hawk-falcons"). They represent taxa with usually more [[phaeomelanin]]s which impart reddish or brown colors, and generally more strongly patterned plumage reminiscent of [[hawk]]s. Notably, their undersides have a lengthwise pattern of blotches, lines or arrowhead marks. While these three or four groups, loosely circumscribed, are an informal arrangement, they probably contain several distinct [[clade]]s in their entirety. A study of [[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] [[DNA sequence|sequence]] data of some kestrels (Groombridge ''et al.'' 2002) identified a clade containing the Common Kestrel and related "[[malar]]-striped" species, to the exclusion of such taxa as the Greater Kestrel (which lacks a malar stripe), the Lesser Kestrel (which is very similar to the Common but also has no malar stripe), and the American Kestrel. The latter species has a malar stripe, but its color pattern - apart from the brownish back - and notably also the black feathers behind the ear, which never occur in the true kestrels, are more reminiscent of some hobbies. The malar-striped kestrels apparently split from their relatives in the [[Gelasian]], roughly 2.5-2 [[mya (unit)|mya]], and are apparently of tropical East African origin. The entire "true kestrel" group - excluding the American species - is probably a distinct and quite young [[clade]], as also suggested by their numerous [[apomorph]]ies. Other studies<ref>Helbig ''et al.'' (1994), Wink ''et al.'' (1998), Wink & Sauer-Gürth (2000), Wink ''et al.'' (2004), Nittinger ''et al.'' (2005)</ref> have confirmed that the hierofalcons are a [[monophyletic]] group - and, incidentally, that [[hybridization]] is quite frequent at least in the larger species falcon species. Initial studies of [[mtDNA]] [[cytochrome b|cytochrome ''b'']] sequence data suggested that the hierofalcons are [[basal (evolution)|basal]] among living falcons<ref>E.g. Helbig ''et al.'' (1994), Wink ''et al.'' (1998)</ref>. This is now known to be an erroneous result due to the presence of a [[numt]] (Wink & Sauer-Gürth 2000); in reality the hierofalcons are a rather young group, originating maybe at the same time as the start of the main kestrel radiaton, about 2 million years ago. This lineage seems to have gone nearly extinct at some point in the past; the present diversity is of very recent origin, though little is known about their fossil history (Nittinger ''et al.'' 2005, Johnson ''et al.'' 2007). The phylogeny and delimitations of the Peregrine and hobbies groups is more problematic. Molecular studies have only been conducted on a few species, and namely the morphologically ambiguous taxa have often been little researched. The [[morphology (biology)|morphology]] of the [[syrinx]], which contributes well to resolving the overall [[phylogeny]] of the [[Falconidae]]<ref>See Griffiths (1999), Griffiths ''et al.'' (2004).</ref>, is not very informative in the present genus. Nonetheless, a core group containing the Peregrine and Barbary falcons which in turn group with the hierofalcons and the more distant Prairie Falcon (which was sometimes placed with the hierofalcons, even though it is entirely distinct [[biogeographical]]ly), as well as at least most of the "typical" hobbies, are confirmed to be [[monophyletic]] as suspected<ref>Helbig ''et al.'' (1994), Wink ''et al.'' (1998)</ref>. Given that the American ''Falco''s of today belong to the Peregrine group or are apparently more basal species, it seems that the initially most successful [[evolutionary radiation]] was an [[Holarctic]] one that originated possibly around central Eurasia or in (northern) Africa. One or several lineages were present in North America by the [[Early Pliocene]] at latest. In conclusion, the origin of today's major ''Falco'' groups - the "typical" hobbies and kestrels for example, or the Peregine-hierofalcon complex, or the Aplomado Falcon lineage - can be quite confidently placed from the [[Miocene]]-[[Pliocene]] boundary through the [[Zanclean]] and [[Piacenzian]] and just into the Gelasian, that is from about 8 to 2.4 million years ago, when the malar-striped kestrels diversified. Some groups of falcons, such as the hierofalcon complex or the Peregrine-Barbary superspecies have only evolved in more recent times; the species of the former seem to be a mere 120.000 years old or so (Nittinger ''et al.'' 2005). ===Species=== [[Image:Kestrel2.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Mauritius Kestrel]], ''Falco punctatus''. This small falcon was nearly [[extinct]] in 1974]] [[Image:Common Kestrel 1.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Common Kestrel]]]] [[Image:NZ Falcon 2006-01-14.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[New Zealand Falcon]], a relative of the hobbies]] [[Image:Falco cherrug Qatar.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Saker Falcon]], a typical hierofalcon]] [[Image:Peregrine falcon x.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Peregrine Falcon]]]] The sequence follows the taxonomic order of White ''et al.'' (1996), except for adjustments in the kestrel sequence. * [[Madagascar Kestrel]], ''Falco newtoni'' * [[Seychelles Kestrel]], ''Falco araea'' * [[Mauritius Kestrel]], ''Falco punctatus'' * [[Réunion Kestrel]], ''Falco duboisi'' - [[extinct]] (c.1700) * [[Spotted Kestrel]], ''Falco moluccensis'' * [[Nankeen Kestrel]] or Australian Kestrel, ''Falco cenchroides'' * [[Common Kestrel]], ''Falco tinnunculus'' * [[Rock Kestrel]], ''Falco (tinnunculus) rupicolus'' * [[Greater Kestrel]], ''Falco rupicoloides'' * [[Fox Kestrel]], ''Falco alopex'' * [[Lesser Kestrel]], ''Falco naumanni'' * [[Grey Kestrel]], ''Falco ardosiaceus'' * [[Dickinson's Kestrel]], ''Falco dickinsoni'' * [[Banded Kestrel]], ''Falco zoniventris'' * [[Red-necked Falcon]], ''Falco chicquera'' ** African Red-necked Falcon, ''Falco (chicquera) ruficollis'' * [[Red-footed Falcon]], ''Falco vespertinus'' * [[Amur Falcon]], ''Falco amurensis'' * [[Eleonora's Falcon]], ''Falco eleonorae'' * [[Sooty Falcon]], ''Falco concolor'' * [[American Kestrel]] or "Sparrow Hawk", ''Falco sparverius'' * [[Aplomado Falcon]], ''Falco femoralis'' * [[Merlin (bird)|(American) Merlin]] or "Pigeon Hawk", ''Falco columbarius'' ** Eurasian Merlin, ''Falco (columbarius) aesalon'' * [[Bat Falcon]], ''Falco rufigularis'' * [[Orange-breasted Falcon]], ''Falco deiroleucus'' * [[Eurasian Hobby]], ''Falco subbuteo'' * [[African Hobby]], ''Falco cuvierii'' * [[Oriental Hobby]], ''Falco severus'' * [[Australian Hobby]] or Little Falcon, ''Falco longipennis'' * [[New Zealand Falcon]], ''Falco novaeseelandiae'' * [[Brown Falcon]], ''Falco berigora'' * [[Grey Falcon]], ''Falco hypoleucos'' * [[Black Falcon]], ''Falco subniger'' * [[Lanner Falcon]], ''Falco biarmicus'' * [[Laggar Falcon]], ''Falco jugger'' * [[Saker Falcon]], ''Falco cherrug'' ** Altai Falcon, ''Falco altaicus'' (status unclear) * [[Gyrfalcon]], ''Falco rusticolus'' * [[Prairie Falcon]], ''Falco mexicanus'' * [[Peregrine Falcon]] or "Duck Hawk", ''Falco peregrinus'' ** [[Peale's Falcon]], ''Falco peregrinus pealei'' ** Pallid Falcon, ''Falco peregrinus cassini'' var. ''kreyenborgi'' ** [[Barbary Falcon]], ''Falco (peregrinus) pelegrinoides'' * [[Taita Falcon]], ''Falco fasciinucha'' ===Fossil record=== *''Falco medius'' (Late Miocene of Cherevichnyi, Ukraine)<ref>[[IZAN]] 45-4033: left [[carpometacarpus]]. Small species; possibly closer to kestrels than to peregrine lineage or hierofalcons, but may be more basal altogether due to its age.(Becker 1987, Mlíkovský 2002).</ref> *''?Falco'' sp. (Late Miocene of Idaho)<ref>[[Idaho Museum of Natural History|IMNH]] 27937. A [[coracoid]] of a [[Merlin (bird)|Merlin]]-sized species. It seems not close to ''F. columbarius'' or the Recent North American species (Becker 1987).</ref> *''Falco'' sp. (Early<ref>[[Fox Canyon Local Fauna]], 4.3–4.8 [[million years ago]]: see Martin ''et al.'' (2000).</ref> Pliocene of Kansas)<ref>[[UMMP]] V27159, V29107, V57508-V57510, V57513/V57514{{Verify source|date=August 2007}}: some limb bones. Slightly smaller than a [[Merlin (bird)|Merlin]] and more robust than [[American Kestrel]], and seems not too distant from ''F. columbarius''.(Feduccia 1970)</ref> *''Falco'' sp. (Early Pliocene of Bulgaria - Early Pleistocene of Spain and Czechia)<ref>A [[hierofalcon]] (Mlíkovský 2002)? If so, probably not close to the living species but an earlier divergence that left no descendants; might be more than one species due to large range in time and/or include common ancestor of hierofalcons and Peregrine-Barbary complex (Nittinger ''et al.'' 2005).</ref> *''Falco oregonus'' (Early/Middle Pliocene of Fossil Lake, Oregon) - possibly not distinct from a living species *''Falco umanskajae'' (Late Pliocene of Kryzhanovka, Ukraine) - includes "Falco odessanus", a ''[[nomen nudum]]''<!--- not italicized --><ref>[[National Academy of Science of Ukraine|NNPM NAN]] 41-646. Almost complete left [[tarsometatarsus]]. Probably a prehistoric hobby, perhaps less specialized for bird hunting.(Sobolev 2003)</ref> *''?Falco bakalovi'' (Late Pliocene of Varshets, Bulgaria)<ref>Status, especially distinctness from ''F. antiquus'', requires confirmation (Mlíkovský 2002).</ref> *''Falco antiquus'' (Middle Pleistocene of Noailles, France and possibly Horvőlgy, Hungary)<ref>Supposedly a [[Saker Falcon]] [[paleosubspecies]] (Mlíkovský 2002), but this is not too likely due to the probable [[Eemian Interglacial|Eemian]] origin of that species (Nittinger ''et al.'' 2005).</ref><!-- Boreas, Vol. 32, pp. 521–531. --> * [[Cuban Kestrel]], ''Falco kurochkini'' (Late Pleistocene/Holocene of Cuba, West Indies) Several more paleosubspecies of extant species also been described; see species accounts for these. ''"Sushkinia" pliocaena'' from the Early Pliocene of Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) appears to be a falcon of some sort. It might belong into this genus or a closely related one (Becker 1987). In any case, the genus name ''[[Sushkinia]]'' is invalid for this animal because it had already been allocated to a prehistoric [[dragonfly]] relative. The supposed ''"Falco" pisanus'' was actually a pigeon of the genus ''[[Columba (genus)|Columba]]'', possibly the same as ''Columba omnisanctorum'' which in that case would adopt the older species name of the "falcon" (Mlíkovský 2002). 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 into this genus. ''"Falco" readei'' is now considered a [[paleosubspecies]] of the [[Yellow-headed Caracara]] (''Milvago chimachima''). ==Footnotes== {{Reflist}} ==References== * {{aut|Becker, Jonathan J.}} (1987): Revision of ''"Falco" ramenta'' Wetmore and the Neogene evolution of the Falconidae. ''[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]'' '''104'''(2): 270-276. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v104n02/p0270-p0276.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Feduccia, J. Alan}} (1970): Some birds of prey from the Upper Pliocene of Kansas. ''[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]'' '''87'''(4): 795-797. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v087n04/p0795-p0797.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Griffiths, Carole S.}} (1999): Phylogeny of the Falconidae inferred from molecular and morphological data. ''[[Auk (journal)|Auk]]'' '''116'''(1): 116–130. [http://elibrary.unm.edu/sora/Auk/v116n01/p0116-p0130.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Griffiths, Carole S.; Barrowclough, George F.; Groth, Jeff G. & Mertz, Lisa}} (2004): Phylogeny of the Falconidae (Aves): a comparison of the efficacy of morphological, mitochondrial, and nuclear data. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''32'''(1): 101–109. <small>{{doi|10.1016/j.ympev.2003.11.019}}</small> (HTML abstract) * {{aut|Groombridge, Jim J.; [[Carl Jones (biologist)|Jones, Carl G.]]; Bayes, Michelle K.; van Zyl, Anthony J.; Carrillo, José; Nichols, Richard A. & Bruford, Michael W.}} (2002): A molecular phylogeny of African kestrels with reference to divergence across the Indian Ocean. ''Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution'' '''25'''(2): 267–277. <small>{{DOI|10.1016/S1055-7903(02)00254-3}}</small> (HTML abstract) * {{aut|Helbig, A.J.; Seibold, I.; Bednarek, W.; Brüning, H.; Gaucher, P.; Ristow, D.; Scharlau, W.; Schmidl, D. & Wink, Michael}} (1994): Phylogenetic relationships among falcon species (genus Falco) according to DNA sequence variation of the cytochrome b gene. ''In:'' {{aut|Meyburg, B.-U. & Chancellor, R.D. (eds.)}}: ''Raptor conservation today'': 593-599. [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/1994/4.%201994.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Johnson, J.A.; Burnham, K.K.; Burnham, W.A.; Mindell, D.P.}} (2007): Genetic structure among continental and island populations of gyrfalcons. ''Molecular Ecology'' '''16''':3145-3160. <small>{{doi|10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03373.x}}</small> (HTML abstract) * {{aut|Martin, R.A.; Honey, J.G. & Pelaez-Campomanes, P.}} (2000): The Meade Basin Rodent Project; a progress report. Kansas Geologial Survey Open-file Report 2000-61{{Verify source|date=August 2007}}<!-- possibly online fulltext via http://www.kgs.ku.edu/Publications/pubOFR.html -->. ''Paludicola'' '''3'''(1): 1-32. * {{aut|Mlíkovský, Jirí}} (2002): ''Cenozoic Birds of the World, Part 1: Europe''. Ninox Press, Prague. <small>ISBN 80-901105-3-8</small> [http://www.nm.cz/download/JML-18-2002-CBE.pdf PDF fulltext]<!-- This should be treated with extreme caution as regards merging of species. Splits are usually good though. See also critical review in Auk121:623-627 here http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3793/is_200404/ai_n9396879 --> * {{aut|Nittinger, F.; Haring, E.; Pinsker, W.; Wink, Michael & Gamauf, A.}} (2005): Out of Africa? Phylogenetic relationships between ''Falco biarmicus'' and other hierofalcons (Aves Falconidae). ''Journal of Zoological Systematics and Evolutionary Research'' '''43'''(4): 321-331. <small>{{doi|10.1111/j.1439-0469.2005.00326.x}}</small> [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2005/28.2005.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Sobolev, D.V.}} (2003): Новый вид плиоценового сокола (Falconiformes, Falconidae) [A new species of Pliocene falcon (Falconiformes, Falconidae)] ''Vestnik zoologii'' '''37'''(6): 85–87. [Russian with English abstract] [http://www.v-zool.kiev.ua/pdfs/2003/6/11.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|White, Clayton M.; Olsen, Penny D. & Kiff, Lloyd F.}} (1994): Family Falconidae. ''In:'' {{aut|del Hoyo, Josep; Elliott, Andrew & Sargatal, Jordi}} (editors): ''[[Handbook of Birds of the World]], Volume 2 (New World Vultures to Guineafowl)'': 216-275, plates 24-28. Lynx Edicions, Barcelona. <small>ISBN 84-87334-15-6</small> * {{aut|Wink, Michael & Sauer-Gürth, Hedi}} (2000): Advances in the molecular systematics of African raptors. ''In:'' {{aut|Chancellor, R.D. & Meyburg, B.-U. (eds)}}: ''Raptors at Risk'': 135-147. WWGBP/Hancock House, Berlin/Blaine. [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2000/29.%202000.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Wink, Michael; Seibold, I.; Lotfikhah, F. & Bednarek, W.}} (1998): Molecular systematics of holarctic raptors (Order Falconiformes). ''In:'' {{aut|Chancellor, R.D., Meyburg, B.-U. & Ferrero, J.J. (eds.)}}: ''Holarctic Birds of Prey'': 29-48. Adenex & WWGBP. [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/1998/31.%201998.pdf PDF fulltext] * {{aut|Wink, Michael; Sauer-Gürth, Hedi; Ellis, David & Kenward, Robert}} (2004): Phylogenetic relationships in the Hierofalco complex (Saker-, Gyr-, Lanner-, Laggar Falcon). ''In:'' {{aut|Chancellor, R.D. & Meyburg, B.-U. (eds.)}}: ''Raptors Worldwide'': 499-504. WWGBP, Berlin. [http://www.uni-heidelberg.de/institute/fak14/ipmb/phazb/pubwink/2004/27.2004.pdf PDF fulltext] ==External links== {{commons|Falcon}} {{Wiktionary}} *[http://ibc.hbw.com/ibc/phtml/familia.phtml?idFamilia=32 Falconidae videos] on the Internet Bird Collection *[http://www.raptorresource.org The Raptor Resource Project] Peregrine, owl, eagle and osprey cams, facts, and other resources. *[http://www.billyformayor.com/falcon.mp3] Recording of a Falcon mating call. <!--Paraphyletic group; includes Polihierax semitorquatus--> [[Category:Falco|*]] [[Category:Falcons|*]] [[Category:Heraldic birds]] [[Category:Falconry]] [[ar:صقر]] [[gn:Taguato]] [[ay:Mamani]] [[bg:Соколи]] [[ca:Falcó]] [[da:Falk]] [[de:Falken]] [[nv:Giní]] [[el:Γεράκι]] [[es:Falco]] [[eo:Falko]] [[fa:شاهین]] [[fr:Falco (genre)]] [[gl:Falcón]] [[io:Falkono]] [[iu:ᑭᒡᒐᕕᒃ/kiggavik]] [[it:Falco]] [[he:בז]] [[ka:ბაზი (ფრინველი)]] [[sw:Kozi]] [[la:Falco]] [[lt:Sakalai]] [[hu:Falco (madárnem)]] [[nl:Falco (geslacht)]] [[ja:ハヤブサ属]] [[no:Falker]] [[pl:Sokoły]] [[pt:Falcão]] [[qu:Waman]] [[ru:Соколы]] [[simple:Falcon]] [[sv:Egentliga falkar]] [[th:เหยี่ยว]] [[vi:Chi Cắt]] [[tr:Doğan (kuş)]] [[uk:Сокіл]] [[wa:Fåcon]] [[zh:隼属]]