The Orange-breasted Falcons (Falco deiroleucus) is a bird of the falcon family.
It is probably closely related to and looks like a larger version of the Bat Falcon. These two, in turn, are probably closest to the Aplomado Falcon and constitute a rather old American lineage of Falcos.
Distribution / Range
It is found from southern Mexico to northern Argentina.
It is a bird predator, with strong talons that enable it to catch prey in flight, and is considered by some – as the German-Brazilian ornithologist Helmut Sick – as filling the ecological niche of the Peregrine Falcon as a breeding species in Tropical America.
The Orange-breasted Falcon, however, seems to favour more heavily wooded habitats than the Peregrine, therefore the species does not seem to be in ecological competition with Peregrine Falcons wintering in South America.
