Bird Photography · The Indian List
Falcons
1 of 13 species photographed
Falcons are built differently from the hawks and eagles and it shows in every frame. Pointed wings, a stiff shallow wingbeat, no soaring on flat wings — they are made for speed in open air rather than lift, and they hunt by overtaking things rather than by dropping on them from a perch.
For a photographer that means they are fast and they do not linger, with two exceptions. Kestrels hover, which buys you seconds. And most falcons return repeatedly to favoured perches — a rock, a pylon, a dead branch — so the way in is to find the perch rather than chase the bird.
Thirteen species reach India, from the falconets, which are smaller than a bulbul, up to the Peregrine. The Amur Falcon passage through the northeast is one of the great raptor spectacles anywhere.
13Species in India
1Photographed
Open countryWhere to look
Pointed wingsHow to know one
Find the perchHow to work them
The species
Collared Falconet
Not yet foundLesser Kestrel
Yet to uploadEurasian Kestrel
Falco tinnunculus2 frames- Status
- Resident and winter visitor
- Range
- Widespread; breeds in the hills, winters widely across the plains
- Habitat
- Open country of most kinds — grassland, cultivation, rocky hillside, roadside
- IUCN
- Least Concern
The hovering falcon. Rufous above with dark spotting; males have a grey head and tail, females and immatures are barred and streaked throughout. Separating it from Lesser Kestrel takes care — claw colour and the pattern of the upperparts are the usual routes.
FM0169
Osman Sagar Lake, Ranga Reddy, TelanganaFemale or immature. Lesser Kestrel not fully excluded on this view.
Red-necked Falcon
Yet to uploadRed-footed Falcon
Not yet foundAmur Falcon
Yet to uploadMerlin
Not yet foundEurasian Hobby
Not yet foundOriental Hobby
Not yet foundLaggar Falcon
Yet to uploadSaker Falcon
Not yet foundPeregrine Falcon
Yet to uploadPhotographs by Fareed Mohmed