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Hawks & Falcons
Levant Sparrowhawk
Levant Sparrowhawk
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
The Levant Sparrowhawk is a small raptor with short broad wings and a longish tail, both adaptations to manoeuvring through trees. The adult male is blue-grey above and pale below, with underparts and leg feathers finely barred in rufous and white. His head is blue-grey as well, with a white throat bisected by a dark central stripe (sometimes quite faint). As with all raptors, the female is larger than the male. The female is similar, though her plumage is generally a darker brownish-grey. Both sexes have orangish-yellow legs and a yellow cere. The Levant Sparrowhawk has dark eyes as opposed by the yellow irises of Eurasian Sparrowhawks.
Diet
It hunts small birds, insects, rodents, and lizards in woodland or semi-desert areas, relying on surprise as it flies from a perch to catch its prey unaware.
Longevity record
15 years 6 months
Sparvier tal-Lvant
Accipiter brevipes
Accipitriformes
Accipitridae
Very rare
Usually seen in
October
Occasionally seen in
May, September
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/5
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
31 - 36
69 - 75
140 - 290
Sparrowhawk
Eurasian Sparrowhawk
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
A small raptor with long tail and short, rounded wings. Upperparts grey in male, and brownish in female and juvenile. Underparts barred in buff in male, and brown barring in female and juveniles. Supercilium may be prominent in females.
Male regularly kill birds weighing up to 40 g and sometimes up to 120 g or more; females can tackle prey up to 500 g or more. The weight of food consumed by adult birds daily is estimated to be 40–50 g for males and 50–70 g for females. During one year, a pair of Eurasian sparrowhawks could take 2,200 house sparrows, 600 common blackbirds or 110 wood pigeons.
Diet
Males tend to take tits, finches, sparrows and buntings; females often take thrushes and starlings. More than 120 bird species have been recorded as prey and individual Eurasian sparrowhawks may specialise in certain prey. The birds taken are usually adults or fledglings, though chicks in the nest and carrion are sometimes eaten. Small mammals, including bats and mice are sometimes caught but insects are eaten only very rarely.
Longevity record
20 years (Found dead in Denmark, 588073)
Usually seen in
September - November
Occasionally seen in
March - May, December
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/18
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
27 - 38
67 - 77
110 - 345
Lesser Kestrel
Lesser Kestrel
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen in groups and occasionaly in large flocks but can also be seen individually.
Easily confused with Kestrel, especially in female and immature plumage. Adult male with clean, grey cheeks, no moustache-stripe and no streaking on crown. Upper wing, greater coverts are grey, contrasting with brick red forewing and back without dark spots. Belly sparsely spotted. Underside of wings paler with less barring than Kestrel, and with more pronounced dark wing tips and trailing edge. This is also more or less visible in females and young birds. Female and young birds has a less stern look than Kestrel, due to more faint facial markings. Mask do not extend behind the eye. Tail slighty shorter than Kestrel, usually with central feathers slightly elongated (rare in Kestrel). Talons pale white, not black as in Kestrel. Flight light and fast, with shallow wing-beats. Hovers less than Kestrel, but soars on up-winds. Identification of female/immature birds requires a combination of plumage, structural and behavioural (flight action) characters.
Diet
Mainly insects but feeds also on small birds, reptiles and rodents.
Longevity record
10 years (Captured by bird ringer in Spain, 4019231)
Usually seen in
March - May, September - October
Occasionally seen in
February, June - August, November
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/13
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
29 - 33
57 - 72
90 - 210
Kestrel
Common Kestrel
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually but occasionally in small groups.
Medium sized falcon with long tail and long wings. Upperparts brick-red, underparts pale buff with dark speckles. Male; light grey head and tail. Female; brick-red head and tail. Both sexes with broad, black terminal tail-band visible on both sides. Evident, but diffuse moustache-stripe. Hovers more frequently than other raptors. Tail and wings gives a more rounded impression when soaring. Very similar to Lesser Kestrel.
Diet
Mainly insects but feeds also on small birds, reptiles and rodents. They are able to see near ultraviolet light, allowing the birds to detect the urine trails around rodent burrows as they shine in an ultraviolet colour in the sunlight, catching mouse-sized mammals.
Longevity record
20 years (Found sick in Germany, GN 4735)
Spanjulett / Seqer Aħmar
Falco tinnunculus
Falconiformes
Falconidae
Fairly common
Usually seen in
March - May, August - November
Occasionally seen in
all the other months
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/17
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
32 - 38
67 - 83
165 - 290
Red Footed Falcon
Red-footed Falcon
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually but occasionally in small groups.
A small falcon recalling both Kestrel and Hobby at a distance, but most likely to be confused with latter. Adult male unmistakable with ashy grey plumage and rufous red "trousers". Colour of trousers not always obvious, but silvery upperwing often visible in flashes at distance. Adult female also distinct with almost unstreaked buff underparts and under wing-coverts, buff neck and crown, dark mask and white cheeks. Immature most likely to be confused with Hobby but differs in barred upper side of tail, pale forehead, white (half) collar, contrasting dark trailing edge to wing and more striking fringes to coverts. Underparts also less heavy streaked. Flight profile similar to Hobby but tail slightly longer and more rounded. Hunts insects in flight, but in contrast to Hobby, hovers frequently and with deeper wingbeats than Kestrel.
Diet
Diet consisting of a variety of insects, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and small birds.
Longevity record
13 years (France, GT 9477)
Usually seen in
April - May
Occasionally seen in
June - October
Click on the image to open slideshow
Ad. female
Colourful orange underbody with black eye mask and a short black moustache. Upperwings are greyish with darker barring.
Ad. female
Colourful orange underbody with black eye mask and a short black moustache. Upperwings are greyish with darker barring.
2nd cycle male
Bluish grey head and underbody with rusty red thighs and vent. In 2nd cycle males the underwings are still not fully dark and can have a mix of juvenile, transitional and adult plumage feathers.
Ad. female
Colourful orange underbody with black eye mask and a short black moustache. Upperwings are greyish with darker barring.
1/38
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
28 - 31
65 - 78
110 - 200
Sooty Falcon
Sooty Falcon
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
It is a vagrant sighting. The one in the pictures was taken by Patrick Spiteri on the 13th September 2022 over Buskett.
A small elegant bird of prey, 32–37 cm long with a 78–90 cm wingspan. It is shaped like a large Hobby or a small Eleonora's Falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body. The adults are blue-grey, and lack the black underwing coverts of the Eleonora’s Falcon. The young bird is like a large juvenile Hobby, or small juvenile Eleanora’s Falcon. Its dark trailing edge to the wings and tail distinguish it from the former species, and it lacks the underwing contrast caused by the dark coverts of the larger falcon.
In adults, it distinct itself from the Red-footed male falcon by having yellowish legs and yellow orbital rings instead of more orange legs and orbital rings in Red-footed's. The Sooty falcon also does not have the red orange vent seen on male Red-footed and Amur falcons.
Diet
Diet consisting of a variety of insects, bats, reptiles, mammals and small birds.
Longevity record
---
Żumbrell Għarbi
Falco concolor
Falconiformes
Falconidae
Vagrant
Usually seen in
---
Occasionally seen in
April, September -November
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/3
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
32 - 37
78 - 90
220 - 350
Eleonora's Falcon
Eleonora's Falcon
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually.
This falcon is shaped like a Eurasian Hobby or a juvenile Red-footed falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body. There are two colour morphs: The adult dark morph is all sooty brown, with black underwing coverts. The light morph is more like a juvenile Eurasian hobby, but has buff underparts, and also shows the contrast between the black underwing coverts and paler base to the flight feathers. Young birds are also like a large juvenile hobby, but the pale underparts contrast with darker wingtips and wing coverts.
Eleonora's falcons have greenish legs and a consistent pale patch on the face, which is indented and thus can be seen divided in a Eurasian Hobby.
Diet
Large insects, birds and bats.
Longevity record
11 years (Shot bird in Germany, 5265733)
Usually seen in
August - October
Occasionally seen in
February, April - July, November - December
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/18
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
40 - 43
86 - 102
330 - 450
Merlin
Merlin
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually.
This falcon is the smallest falcon visiting our islands. It is a very agile falcon which can be seen flying swiftly through tree branches.
The male has slate grey upperparts, and pinkish buff with speckled underparts. The female is dark brown above and heavily speckled below. Tail of female with dark broad bands, tail of male with broad black terminal band. Diffuse facial markings. Short wings. Acrobatic flight with sharp twist and turns when chasing prey. Alternating glides and bursts of wing-beats gives undulating flight.
Diet
Usually feeds on small birds but also large insects, rodents, reptiles and bats.
Longevity record
12 years (Found dead in the UK, EB 28714)
Usually seen in
October - November
Occasionally seen in
December - May, August - September
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/5
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
28 - 34
61 - 67
160 - 210
Eurasian Hobby
Eurasian Hobby
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually.
The Eurasian Hobby is a small and elegant falcon, with white throat and rufous thighs (adults). Long, narrow wings and medium long tail. Dark grey above and heavily streaked below. Head dark, with marked facial pattern resembling Peregrine. Tail often looks slightly wedge-shaped. Impressive speed of flight, with acrobatic skills when hunting. Will glide, but seldom hovers. Perched birds shows wing-tips reaching end of tail.
Diet
Feeds normally on swifts, martins, swallows, bats but also on insects.
Longevity record
14 years (Found dead in Germany, 5103443)
Usually seen in
April, September - October
Occasionally seen in
May - June, August
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/16
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
28 - 35
75 - 85
176 - 285
Saker
Saker Falcon
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually.
A large, powerful, falcon with a pale head, a thin mustache, and dark "trousers"; tail extends beyond wingtips at rest. In flight the wings are broad, with dark underwing coverts. Found in open grasslands with rocky areas and cliffs or in gallery forests. Often nests in heronries.
Diet
Birds comprise 44% of the diet, mammals 47%, reptiles 8% and insects 1%. Our results suggest that this falcon is an opportunistic hunter and feeds on a wide range of animals throughout its habitat.
Longevity record
15 years (Hungary, 517363)
Bies Rasu Bajda
Falco cherrug
Falconiformes
Falconidae
Very rare
Usually seen in
April, October - November
Occasionally seen in
August, Decemebr - January
Click on the image to open slideshow
© Darren Caruana
1/8
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
48 - 55
110 - 125
700 - 1300
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Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon
Maltese name/s
Scientific binomen
Order
Family
Sighting occurrence
Info*
Usually seen individually but can be seen in pairs or in small groups during breeding.
The nominates 'peregrinus', 'calidus' and 'brookei' occur in Malta. The latter being the one that breeds in Malta.
A large and athletic falcon. Adults slate-grey above. Underparts white with black barring. Head almost black. Juveniles with brown tone to plumage, coarse longitudinal streaking below and paler head. Differs from the smaller falcons by less pointed wings, heavier hips and short tail. Highly contrasting and broad moustache-stripe. Underside of wings evenly barred, without contrasting coverts.
Diet
Feral Pigeons (Columba livia) comprise one third of the diet by frequency and just over half of the diet when measured by mass. The remainder of the diet comprises a wealth of other species including wading birds, other doves and pigeons, ducks, gulls and terns, and rails.
Longevity record
17 years (Killed by a vehicle in Sweden, 9002638)
Usually seen in
March - May, September - November
Occasionally seen in
January, June, August, December, all other months for resident birds
Click on the image to open slideshow
1/22
Length (cm):
Wingspan (cm):
Weight (g):
37 - 45
90 - 105
580 - 1100
*Some information was sourced from ''BirdID Nord University''.
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