Brown Falcon
Rufous Morph, top of wing
Ellura
Brown Falcon
Light Morph, Juvenile Gliding
 
                      
Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)Class: Animals (Animalia) - Chordates (Chordata) - Birds (Aves)
Order: Birds of Prey (Falconiformes)
Family: Falcon (Falconidae)     iNaturalist Observation
Species: Brown Falcon (Falco berigora)
This Photo:     Light Morph, Juvenile

Thank you Ralph Foster, Alan Melville & John Oliver for confirming the id of this species for us

General Species Information:
Found on Ellura (in the Murray Mallee, SA) and elsewhere
Medium sized bird of prey. The light morph has a buff breast, with thin brown stripes. All morphs have brown back and wings. We have a resident breeding pair of Brown Falcons (mixed morphs) often found perched on the top of a dead tree. They sit there for hours, scanning their surrounds.
We have read of studies that the suggest "morphs" are simple age variations (lighter = older). Our photo of a Light Morph juvenile must disprove this?

Copyright © 2013-2024 Brett & Marie Smith. All Rights Reserved. Photographed 17-Jul-2013
This species is classed as LC (Least Concern) in the Murray Mallee, SA, by DENR (Regional Species Status Assessments, July 2010)