Shaheen Falcon:
A pair of Shaheen falcons found nesting in a multi-storey residential complex under construction in Kochi.
- The Shaheen falcon (Falco peregrinus peregrinator) is a non-migratory subspecies of the Peregrine falcon.
- The face is characterised by a dark vertical stripe from the eye to the side of the face, which often gives the bird a severe appearance.
- The bird has a muscular body — with the female being larger than the male.
- It is found on rocky and hilly regions on cliffs and rock pinnacles.
- This small but powerful-looking falcon is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent.
- These birds have also been reported from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal.
- It eats chiefly birds; occasionally mammals, including bats, rats, rabbits and voles; also insects, reptiles and exceptionally fish.
- Peregrines are masters of the stoop.
- Their bodies are shaped to generate high speeds and turn into a weapon when they go into hunt mode.
- Conservation Status
- IUCN: Least Concern
