other names
Little Falcon or White-Fronted Falcon

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DESCRIPTION

Adults: Male 300mm in length. Female 340 - 350mm in length. Sexes similar in appearance. Upper parts slate grey to black, with black shaft streaks and greyer edging to back and wing coverts. Flight and tail feathers are a dusky grey with buff bars. Sides of face and sometimes crown are dark brown / black. Forehead, throat and collar at sides of neck are buff-cream in colour. Rest of undersurface is rufous-brown, streaked black on breast and thighs and grading to black mottling on belly and flanks. Eye dark brown. Eye ring bluish white. Bill light grey with black tip. Cere dull yellow. Feet dull yellow and claws are dusky.

Juvenile: As above but generally grey-brown with buff edges to feathers. Adult plumage acquired after first year.

Voice: Repeated shrill twittering call. Shrill harsh chatter in defense.

The Australian Hobby can be found throughout mainland Australia and in the northern and eastern areas of Tasmania. There are two races; one is the black-backed hobby which is found in the coastal south-east, extreme south-west and Tasmania, the other is the grey-backed hobby which can be found elsewhere in Australia. It is a nomadic bird is migratory, particularly in the south and have been known to travel to New Guinea during the Australian winter. It is predominantly solitary, except when nesting. The hobby prefers wooded areas, particularly open woodland country. The Australian Hobby is a fierce hunter which preys predominantly on birds, capturing them in mid air from direct pursuit or in power dives from above. The hobby will even take birds up to an equivalent size to themselves. It searches for prey mainly while on the wing but will also sit on high perches surveying the area. It will sometimes soar and circle high above, like eagles, and will even hover although very awkwardly. Other prey includes small bats, grasshoppers, dragon flies and winged ants. Australian Hobby pairs will nest in abandoned nests of other birds and will defend it fiercely and noisily. The female incubates the eggs and will feed the hatchlings while the male hunts for food. When food is caught he will call the female off the nest to transfer food, either passing food to her mid air or in a nearby tree, which she will then take back to the nest to be plucked, dismembered and fed to the young. Brooding of young ceases when pin feathers emerge and both adults will drop food in the nest, leaving the young to take possession of the food and feed themselves. Breeding is from September to November in the southern parts of Australia. Two or three, occasionally four, eggs are laid. Incubation is around 30 days and young fledge in five weeks. Most young survive and fledge successfully.