Wildlifeof Bhutan
Red-necked Falcon
Birds of Prey
Photo: (c) Srivatsan Ramkumar, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY (May be cropped or resized)
Falco chicquera
Basic stats
Diet
Small birds, bats and squirrels; hunts in pairs mostly at dawn and dusk
Habitat
Open plains of the Indian subcontinent; nests in old corvid nests or in palm crowns
Clutch size
2–4 eggs
Incubation period
By the female alone, from the last egg
Size
30–36cm
Wingspan
About 85cm
The red-necked falcon is a medium-sized falcon, 30 to 36cm long with a wingspan of about 85cm, with bluish-grey wings and upper body and a chestnut-red cap. The primaries are black and a single black band at the tip of the tail is distinctive. The Indian form, also called the red-headed merlin, is found mainly in the open plains of the Indian subcontinent (Wikipedia, general species account).
It hunts in pairs mostly at dawn and dusk, capturing small birds, bats and squirrels, and may pirate prey from other medium-sized raptors. It usually reuses old tree nest platforms, particularly those of crows, or builds in a tall tree fork or palm crown, laying two to four eggs incubated only by the female. Young fledge in up to 48 days in India. The account opened does not name Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the Red-necked Falcon eat?
- Small birds, bats and squirrels; hunts in pairs mostly at dawn and dusk
- What habitat does the Red-necked Falcon live in?
- Open plains of the Indian subcontinent; nests in old corvid nests or in palm crowns
- How many eggs does the Red-necked Falcon lay?
- 2–4 eggs
- How long are the eggs of the Red-necked Falcon incubated?
- By the female alone, from the last egg
- How big is the Red-necked Falcon?
- 30–36cm
- What is the wingspan of the Red-necked Falcon?
- About 85cm