Amur Falcon vs Australian Hobby

Amur Falcon

Falco amurensis

Medium142 gGrassland

Males are characteristically dark sooty grey above with rufous thighs and vent. In flight, the wing lining is white, contrasting with the dark wing feathers. Adult males of the closely related red-footed falcon have a dark grey wing lining. In Africa, males can be confused with melanistic Gabar goshawks, but the chestnut on the vent is distinctive. Also, there may be some superficial resemblance to the sooty falcon and the grey kestrel, but those two species both have yellow feet and cere.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recorded by Mike Prince · Call · Doyang Reservoir, Wokha, Nagaland, India · CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Henry de Lange · CC BY 4.0

Australian Hobby

Falco longipennis

Medium250 gForest

Smaller than other falcons, the Australian hobby is relatively slender and long winged. Its plumage varies in colour depending on sex, age and environment with a darker form in humid areas and a lighter form in drier environments. Generally the hobby displays a black cap and mask with a whitish forehead and half-collar. Underparts can be blue-grey or rufous and streaked darker. The cere in adults is a pale yellowish grey, the eye ring is pale blue, the eyes are brown and the feet are dull yellow. Females are larger in size between 34 and 35. Voice: Research undertaken comparing the vocalisations of Australian falcons, found that two structurally distinct calls were emitted when a male hobby was restrained. This included a wide band harmonic vocalisation and a trill-type vocalisation.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: patrickkavanagh · CC BY 2.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Amur Falcon and Australian Hobby.