Falco mexicanus: Prairie Falcon

This month's "Bird of the Month" for the newsletter was the Prairie Falcon. They look a little bit like Peregrine Falcons, but their malar strips are narrower, their underparts are more buff-colored than rust, and they've got dark axillars (wingpits!).

Their range is pretty much the entire Western US, with a tiny bit of Canada and Mexico at the far north and south. They thrive in areas that have both cliffs (for nesting) AND plains (for hunting ground squirrels); we've got those conditions in spades in this part of the world. They're studied extensively at the The Morley Nelson Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area in Southwest Idaho.


Doodled from this photo.