Appearance:

Smallest falcon. Male with slate grey upperparts, and pinkish buff, speckled underparts . Female dark brown above and heavily speckled below. Due to the extensive markings, the underparts give a darker impression than in Kestrel. Tail of female with dark broad bands, tail of male with broad black terminal band. Diffuse facial markings. Short wings. Silhouette similar to Peregrine, but the much faster wing beats are diagnostic. Acrobatic flight with sharp twist and turns when chasing prey. Alternating glides and bursts of wing-beats gives undulating flight.

Sound:

Series of harsh "kwik-wik wik". Coarseness similar to Peregrine, but pace much quicker. Female call harsher than male. Lacking the clearer tones and attack of Kestrel.

Alarm call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Thijs Fijen, Licence,Link.

Appearance:

Buzzard-sized eagle with long tail, slender build and white patches at base of wings. Occurs in pale and dark morph. Pale birds may be confused with much larger Egyptian Vulture, but note short. wedge-shaped tail of latter. Dark birds harder to identify, but differ from Marsh Harrier by flat, not raised wings, from Black Kite by round, not forked, tail and less arched wings. Buzzards have 5 (not 6) "fingers", shorter tail and more plump build. For separation from Bonelli's Eagle see that species.

Sound:

Very vocal in breeding season. Most often heard is a quite soft, wader-like series of "kli-kli-kli-kli-kli-kli".

Contact call:

Distribution:

Wikipedia: map (se also Xeno-canto below)

Ecology:

Birdlife ecology

Links:

Observation.org Latest observations

Video IBC

Image search Flickr NB! May give other species

Sound search at Xeno-canto

Featherbase

CC

CC-sound:Patrick Franke, Licence,Link.