The Amur Falcons (Falco amurensis), formerly the Eastern Red-footed Falcon, is a small raptor that was long considered a subspecies or morph (genetic mutation) of the Red-footed Falcon. However, nowadays most authorities consider it a distinct and separate species. Still, it is closely related to the Red-footed Falcon.
Description
The Amur Falcon has a graceful build and is built for aerial hunting. Males are predominantly dark brown with red feet, cere (the skin that surrounds the nostrils), white underwing coverts, and a red cere. These details distinguish them from other closely related species, such as the Red-footed Falcon. The females have a more muted coloration, with grey markings at the top of their heads, less red cere and feet, and a barring in the belly. The juveniles are often mottled or streaked, with a browner coloration. They also have a less defined pattern. As they mature, the plumage of adult birds gradually takes over.
The flight of the eagle is agile and quick. The relatively long, pointed wings allow for fast flapping flights interspersed by gliding. Amur falcons are known to migrate in large flocks. They can perch together by the thousands. The Amur Falcons are lighter in weight than other falcons with similar sizes, reflecting their lifestyle of migration.
Distribution / Range
The Amur Falcons breed in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China. They winter in Southern Africa.
Amur falcons breed in parts of Mongolia, northeastern Asia, and southeastern Siberia, including the Amur region. Breeding ranges extend into north-east Mongolia, Manchuria, and North Korea. After the breeding season, they undertake astonishing migrations–traveling all the way to southern Africa for the winter.
The raptors’ migration is spectacular. The birds travel in large flocks, up to thousands, and cross varied terrain with the help of favorable winds. They stopover in northeast India, across Southeast Asia, and sometimes on coastal or island routes. Some individuals fly across the Arabian Sea or over diverse habitats such as agricultural land, woodlands, wetlands, and open grasslands.
In the breeding season, they prefer open woodlands, forest edges with scattered trees, and marshy woods where prey is abundant. In Africa’s winter, they live in moist grasslands and woodlands with scattered trees, as well as savannas and open fields. During migration, they use a variety of habitats, including agricultural fields and wetlands. They also travel along road edges, open terrain, and areas with a lot of insects.
Identification
Males have mostly dark, sooty brown plumage.
Similar Species:
Males may be confused with the melanistic Gabar Gosha, but can be identified by their chestnut-colored vent.
Males also resemble the Sooty Falcon and Grey Kestrel, but those two species both have yellow feet and cere (soft skin surrounding the nostrils).
They also look similar to the male Amur and Red-footed Falcon, but the Amur Falcon has white underwing feathers, while the Red-footed Falcon has uniformly grey underwing feathers.
Females have grey markings on the top of the head, which differentiates them from female Red-footed Falcons. The female has barring on the lower belly. Red cere (soft skin surrounding the nostrils) and feet rule out all other falcons.
Juveniles have a darker crown, and they lack the buff all the way up the abdomen, differentiating them from the Western Red-footed Falcon. The Amur Falcon and Red-footed Falcon have red feet.
Both females and juveniles lack the buff underwing coverts of the Red-footed Falcon.
Feeding & Diet
The Amur falcon is an insectivore, particularly during the winter and migration. The Amur Falcon eats swarms that include termites, locusts, and ants, as well as dragonflies and other flying insects. These swarms are often a vital source of food during mass migrations and stopovers.
During breeding season, small birds, small mammals, and amphibians are added to the diet. This is food that’s needed for raising chicks. This shift is a reflection of both chance (availability) and necessity (for chick development). They hunt quickly: they catch insects mid-air and hover briefly before diving.
These falcons are most active in the early mornings and evenings. They take advantage of insect pulses at dusk or dawn. They forage in and around open areas, where there are many insects.
Vocalizations/Calls
Amur Falcons have a distinctive vocalization and set of calls. The Amur Falcon uses a series of “kek kek kek” notes during social interaction, alarm, or when roosting with other birds. These calls are especially effective in the evening, when there is a large group of birds.
As birds settle or arrive at roosting sites, falcons will often make louder “kew kew kew” sounds. When predators or birds are disturbed, alarm calls become more shrill and sharp.
Vocalizations are also used to maintain flock cohesion because of the migration and large group roosting behavior, particularly when landing on a roost or feeding in groups. These calls may not be melodious but are clear and functional, effective in communicating in flight, during roosting, and when feeding in groups.
Breeding and Nesting
In their breeding grounds in northeastern Asia, the Amur Falcons’ breeding season usually occurs between May and June. Monogamous, they nest in colonies of multiple pairs.
Amur falcons do not construct their nest structures. Instead, they use old nests made by corvids such as magpies and crows, or hollows in trees. These reuse behaviors demonstrate adaptability as well as a dependence on the availability of suitable trees and old nests.
The size of the clutch can vary from three to four eggs, depending on availability and region. Some sources mention as many as six eggs in some cases. However, four is the most common. Both parents share incubation duties. After the incubation period of 28-30 days, the chicks will hatch.
Both parents feed the chicks after hatching. The chicks grow quickly and can fledge within a month. During this period, parents may bring food to the nest, protect their young from predators, and roost near the nest. For nesting to be successful, the nests must be in old cavities or trees. The loss of nesting sites that are suitable can reduce breeding output.
Conservation Status and Threats
The IUCN has classified the Amur falcon as ” Least Concern due to its large breeding range, high population, and its resilience in many areas of its range. This does not mean that it is safe from danger.
Hunting, particularly during migration, is a major threat. Documented cases (e.g). In northeastern India, thousands of birds have been trapped or killed during periods of stopover. These mass trapping incidents can have a significant impact on local populations, particularly during vulnerable migration stops.
Another concern is habitat loss. This includes loss of nesting areas (old trees or tree cavities), conversion of woodlands to open spaces, destruction of feeding habitats (healthy ecosystems are essential for insect swarms), use of pesticides that reduce insect prey, and disturbances at stopover and roost sites.
Also, because migration is so long and involves crossing large barriers (oceans, deserts), any changes in climate or weather patterns–availability of winds, rain, storms, availability of stopover food sources–can pose a risk. Disturbance in major roosts, e.g., Development, tourism, and deforestation, can also cause birds to be displaced or reduced in number.
The conservation efforts include: protecting major roosting sites, community awareness campaigns, and anti-hunting campaigns (some of which have been successful in India), satellite tracking of migration routes to understand migratory behaviour, protection of feeding habitats, as well as maintaining tree cavities and nests for other species.
Conclusion
The Amur Falcon’s story is one of adaptation, endurance, and migration. It’s a small raptor that has spanned continents, seasons, and skies. The Amur Falcon’s ability to migrate from its breeding grounds in northeastern Asia to southern Africa over oceans and unfriendly terrain is a testament to the bird’s resilience. This same migration and reliance on multiple habitats make it vulnerable to a degree that many sedentary birds cannot.
Each link is essential to the species’ life cycle: nest sites, stopover roosts (stopover roosts), food availability, and habitat safety. When a link is broken, the species can suffer. Positive conservation actions–anti-hunting efforts, habitat protection, community involvement–have shown that pressures can be mitigated.
