Eleonora's Falcon vs New Zealand Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon

Falco eleonorae

Large390 gCoastal

Eleonora's falcon is a bird of prey, 36–42 cm (14–17 in) long with an 87–104 cm (34–41 in) wingspan. It is shaped like a large Eurasian hobby or a small slender peregrine falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body. There are two colour morphs: The adult dark morph is all sooty brown, with black underwing coverts. The light morph is more like a juvenile Eurasian hobby, but has buff underparts, and also shows the contrast between the black underwing coverts and paler base to the flight feathers.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Σταυρούλα Χρήστος · CC BY 4.0

New Zealand Falcon

Falco novaeseelandiae

Large419 gForest

The forms of the New Zealand falcon differ in size, colouration, and habitat. The eastern falcon is larger and paler, while the bush falcon is smaller and darker. The southern falcon sits between the other forms in colouration and size, but has a habitat more similar to the bush falcon. The eastern falcon on average has more white tail bars in their tail feathers than the other two forms. The bush falcon primarily lives in forests while the eastern falcon is present in open steppe habitats. The bush falcons have shorter wings with better manoeuvrability within forests.

ID text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: John Barkla · CC BY 4.0

Photos and recordings are credited to their authors under the licence shown. Full profiles: Eleonora's Falcon and New Zealand Falcon.