Barred Forest Falcon

Micrastur ruficollis

Least Concern · IUCN Red List

LCLeast ConcernVertebratesForestCavity nestMedium · 178 g

What the Barred Forest Falcon sounds like

Sonogram of the Barred Forest Falcon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Napo: km 11.6 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Barred Forest Falcon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song · Pichincha: Río Guaycuyacu, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto
Sonogram of the Barred Forest Falcon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.
Recorded by Niels Krabbe · Song, laughing song · Napo: km 11.6 Narupa-Loreto road, Ecuador · CC BY-SA 4.0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The barred forest falcon is 31 to 39 cm (12 to 15 in) long. Males weigh 144 to 184 g (5.1 to 6.5 oz) and females 200 to 322 g (7.1 to 11.4 oz). Adults of most subspecies are typically dark slate gray above; the tail is tipped with white and has three to six narrow white bars. The throat is pale gray, shading to the darker slate of the crown. The rest of the under parts, including the under-wing coverts, are white, finely and clearly barred with black or dark gray. The upper breast is a darker gray. The primary remiges are dark brownish-gray with off-white bars on the inner webs. Subspecies, M. Voice: The barred forest falcon's "advertising call" is "a somewhat dog-like, monotonous yapping, "keyak", "ark" or similar". Another call is a "bouncing-ball series..."cah cah cah-cah-cah", or similar". Neighboring males spar when one gives "a rapid, swelling chitter and the other a rapid clucking".

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Barred Forest Falcon

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is March, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Barred Forest Falcon

Regular range

The map shades 19 countries with regular records. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

About the Barred Forest Falcon

The barred forest falcon is a species of bird of prey in subfamily Herpetotherinae of family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It occurs from southern Mexico south through most of Central America and in every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

Side by side: Barred Forest Falcon vs Collared Forest Falcon · Barred Forest Falcon vs Red-throated Caracara · Barred Forest Falcon vs Lined Forest Falcon

Learn the Barred Forest Falcon in the BeakBrain App

Photo and call practice. Coming soon to iPhone and Android.

Play today's Daily Bird

Every photo and recording on this page is credited to its author under the licence shown. Spotted a problem with this page, or have a better photo? Contribute.