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Welcome
Falcon Sponsors
Bird TLC doesn't receive
a lot of falcons. Gyrfalcons, peregrine falcons. merlins and kestrels are the
species found in Alaska. This Merlin was found ....
Falcon birds are very sturdy and swift
fliers with immense aerial alertness. They hardly ever fly in a way of hawks.
The peregrine has been timed at 180 mph. This rate of speed and alertness make
falcon bird's unbeaten hunters of birds,
reptiles,
and many smaller mammals. Many of the species, conversely, are very
insectivorous or eaters of carrion. But falcons wallop and seize their prey
with their immensely sharp claws, and they normally kill their captured prey
with their beaks.
These birds are usually private or they
live in pairs. They make their nests on
trees
or on cliffs. They often invade the nests of other birds. The female falcon
bird commonly lays two to six eggs, and both the male and the female falcons
incubate their eggs and take care of their young. The falcon goes through four
various yet unique periods in its life cycle. The duration of each period
varies among the species and also with the size of the birds. The nestling
period take the time from hatching to the first flight of the young one.
During this time the young bird grows swiftly and grows all of its feathers.
The post-nestling phase is of course the fledging. Through this time the
parents of the young hunt food for their little ones. It is considered a
juvenile when the bird leaves its nest to be on its own. The juvenile period
lasts until the bird has reached its sexual maturity, which is when it is said
to be an adult. Most falcons rarely ever live for more than 20 years.
The falcon birds' one real adversary and enemy is mankind. For many years the
falcons were considered to be as vermin for they were thought to be a heavy
toll on the livestock. However, now pesticides have been the main reason for
devastating and jeopardizing several species. The first fossil record of the
falcon family is from the Miocene Epoch of Argentina, which was present nearly
15 million years ago. Today, there are eleven known fossil species.
Bird TLC.... For the Birds!
With your support, we will continue to
provide primary medical care and rehabilitation for sick, injured, or orphaned
wild birds; and to provide environmental education for the public through live
wild bird programs.
