Prairie Falcon

Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) is in the Falcons and Caracaras family (Falconidae). Across the U.S., iNaturalist users have logged 4,068 research-grade observations of it in our sample, peaking in January.

Seasonal pattern in the national data: year-round resident. Counts also reflect when people are out photographing, so compare months within a state rather than across states.

When to photograph Prairie Falcon: observations by month (U.S.)

About Prairie Falcon

The prairie falcon (Falco mexicanus) is a medium-large sized falcon of western North America. It is about the size of a peregrine falcon or a crow, with an average length of 40 cm (16 in), wingspan of approximately 1 meter (40 in), and average weight of 720 g (1.6 lb). As in all falcons, females are noticeably bigger than males. Though a separate species from the peregrine, the prairie falcon is basically an arid environment adaptation of the early peregrine...From Wikipedia via iNaturalist — article, CC BY-SA.

Prairie Falcon by state

Main season = months with at least 30% of the state's peak-month count.

Related birds (Falcons and Caracaras)

American KestrelFalco sparverius

Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus

MerlinFalco columbarius

Crested CaracaraCaracara plancus

Photography tips

• Use a fast shutter (1/2000 s or faster) for birds in flight.
• Focus on the eye and shoot at the bird's eye level.
• Approach slowly and stop if the bird changes behavior; never bait or flush birds.
• Morning activity peaks in the first two hours after sunrise.

FAQ