African pygmy falcons inhabit dry, arid climates with sparse vegetation. There are four potential reasons for this behaviour: defence, co-operative polyandry, delayed dispersal of offspring and cooperation, and thermoregulation (warmth).Ĭorroboration for the last is that in winter African pygmy falcons nest further inside the nest of sociable weavers, where there is better insulation. Polihierax semitorquatus, the African pygmy falcon, is native to two. They love to snack on lizards, large insects, rodents or birds. Their life span is between 6 and 8 years, but they can live up to 20 years in managed care. Adult pygmy falcons are white below and on the face, grey above, and females having a chestnut back.

Pygmy falcon territories are occasionally inhabited by groups, where there are more than two adults living together and tending nestlings. African Pygmy Falcon Our Pygmy Falcon is originally found throughout Eastern and Southern Africa. Pygmy falcons provided one of the rare documented cases of intraspecific killing to acquire a new mate and territory. In southern Africa, they are found around red-billed buffalo weaver nests but predominantly nest in the vacant rooms of sociable weaver nests, which are large and multichambered-even if the sociable weavers still have an active colony in the nest.ĭespite being bird-eaters and bigger than sociable weavers, the pygmy falcons largely leave the latter alone, though they do occasionally catch and eat nestlings and even adults. An adult male African Pygmy-falcon at Buffalo Springs National Park, Kenya. Adult pygmy falcons are white below and on the face, grey. Insects, but also some rodents and birds.In Kenya, pygmy falcons nest in white-headed buffalo weaver nests, and the ranges of the two birds coincide. The pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) or African pygmy falcon is a bird of prey native to. Males have a grayish head, back and wings with a pale area across the face, underparts and rump. In the wild, these birds feed mainly on small lizards and large African pygmy falcons are considered sexually dimorphic. set a target population size of 70 animals in the African Pygmy Falcon SSP population. Lives in eastern and southern Africa, the smallest raptor of theĪs a small falcon, only 19 to 20 cm long, it preys on insects, smallĪfrican pygmy falcons are found around the arid steppes of eastern and with adults indefinitely may house single bird until mate can be. The African Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) is a falcon that Click here for more information about the Red List categories and criteria Justification of Red List category This species has an extremely large range, and hence does not approach the thresholds for Vulnerable under the range size criterion (Extent of Occurrence <20,000 km2 combined with a declining or fluctuating range size, habitat extent/quality, or population size and a small number of. The Sport of FalconryĪfrican Pygmy-falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.Īfrican Pygmy Falcon - Polihierax semitorquatusAfrican Pygmy-falconsīirds of Prey. Does not qualify for a more at risk category. the previous year, whereas the other helpers were immigrant adults (23). The African Pygmy Falcon is classified as Least Concern. condition in bigger broods of cooperatively breeding African pygmy falcon. Original source: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, ScotlandCamera location Author: Steve Garvie from Dunfermline, Fife, ScotlandCamera location Adult pygmy falcons are white below and on the face, grey above, and females having a chestnut back. Picture of the African Pygmy Falcon has been licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike.

African pygmy falcon adult