NZ Falcon
Once upon a time, some of the most fearsome birds of prey lived in New Zealand. Amongst them was the moa-eating Haast's eagle, which is now extinct.
What is a bird of prey?
Birds of prey are birds that hunt for food primarily on the wing, using their keen eyesight. They are defined as any bird that kills its prey with its talons (claws). Their talons and beaks are large, powerful and adapted for tearing flesh. In most cases, the females are considerably larger than the males. We have three types of birds of prey in New Zealand - the NZ falcon, the morepork (ruru) and the Australasian Harrier (kahu).
Nowadays only three species of bird of prey exist in New Zealand. The fastest of them is the NZ Falcon.
This falcon can reach 100 kilometres and it is just warming up!
Some say it is the 'boy racer of our skies' because it can wheel through our forests, swooping down on prey at speeds of 230 kilometres per hour.
Like the Haast eagle, it’s a gutsy bird and it will take on prey much, much bigger than itself.
Family-life
Sole parenting is not done in the falcon world – both parents incubate the eggs.
Although they are both attentive parents their nest is made in a scrape in the ground so it is prone to attack by stoats, rats and possums.
Before settling down to mate and nest, falcons perform an exciting courtship dance that is like a fake attack. It involves diving, swooping, chasing and cliff races. Fun!
Why do wine-growers love falcons?
Marlborough wine-growers like falcons to hang around their vineyards because they scare away birds that eat the grapes. The wine-makers have set up a group called for Falcons for Grapes, which helps re-locate falcons from the wild to nesting sites near vineyards.
Facts
- The NZ Falcon appears on our $20 bill
- The female lays between 1 – 4 eggs
- There are three sub-species of NZ falcon in New Zealand – the bush falcon, and the southern and eastern falcon. They are not distinctive though and they will breed with one another.
- There are around 5000 falcon throughout New Zealand.
- They have a loud call that is like ‘kek, kek, kek’
- NZ Falcon eat small birds, insects and rodents.
>>> If you see a NZ Falcon please report it to the Wingspan Trust. www.wingspan.co.nz They monitor the numbers and distribution of NZ Falcons.
