Singapore and tropical Asia, Japan and temperate East Asia
Habitat
coast and mangroves, towns and gardens
Colour
grey, white, black
Size
medium (20 to 50 cm)
IUCN status
Least Concern
IOC breeding range
Worldwide (widespread)
Identification
A large crow-sized falcon, 34–58 cm long with a wingspan of 74–120 cm, the female up to 30% larger than the male. Adults are blue-grey on the back and long pointed wings, white below with black bars, with a black head and a broad black moustache; juveniles are brown above and streaked below. Famous for speed: its hunting stoop exceeds 320 km/h, making it the fastest animal on earth.
Habitat
Sea cliffs, estuaries, wetlands, mountains and cities; nests on tall buildings and bridges and takes pigeons and other birds in the air.
Distribution
Cosmopolitan, almost everywhere except Antarctica and some islands. Breeds on coastal cliffs and in big cities in China and Japan; wintering birds perch on Singapore's tall buildings every year.
Season and behaviour
Seen all year; more northern birds winter in eastern China and Singapore. Hunts waterbirds and pigeon flocks over wetlands at dawn and dusk and sits by day on cliff ledges or building edges.
Photography tips
These are the FilmAnalysis editors' notes, not content from the sources.
It perches high for a long time: wait with a long lens for the moment it leaves. In pursuit use 1/3200 s and a wider framing, composing first and letting it enter. In cities the building edge where it sits is the composition. Never approach a nest site.
Field ethics: keep a distance at which the bird does not change its behaviour; never approach or publish nest sites; no baiting, playback or flash; never clear vegetation around a nest; follow reserve rules and stay on paths.
Photographic styles
Raptor against city architecture; lines of speed.
Similar species
Eurasian hobby (smaller, rufous thighs); saker (larger and paler, thin moustache, steppe); the near-identical tropical shaheen has chestnut underparts.
Related badge
None yet. No validated photo recognition exists for this species, so no badge is tied to it: a name in the encyclopedia is not evidence in a photograph.
The illustration is original FilmAnalysis artwork. The photograph is from Wikimedia Commons; its licence and author are under it.
