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Falco mexicanus
This is a female Prairie Falcon pulled from a nest by my falconry sponsor last Spring. Like all raptors, falcons grow at an impressive rate; a week earlier and she was all white fluff, two weeks later and she had most of the stiff, dark brown feathers found on adults. Prairie Falcons are close relatives to the more famous Peregrine Falcon, but are smaller, have a more 'mechanical' flight style, and have a more stubborn, unpredictable personality.
Prairie Falcons live in open country ranging from alpine tundra to deserts.
Falconers have special licenses allowing them to pull chicks from nests to raise for hunting. Only experienced falconers can take a chick, by law. There must be at least two chicks in the nest for the taking to be legal.
5 Comments
Thought this was a picture of a bunny at first. Lol. Would love to have seen shots of her running around! =)
Falconry?
Cute ..
Not scared, just tired. She had just been running around quite a lot!
Amazing information. The bird looks very scared though.