Falco novaeseelandiae

I’ve been looking forward to revisiting this member of the Falco genus for a while. The New Zealand Falcon (Falco novaeseelandiae). New Zealand’s only species of falcon.  

This medium size bird of prey feeds primarily on birds, small mammals, reptiles, and insects. It most often hunts from a perch or from a high circular flight pattern diving to take prey. Like most falcons, prey is caught with talons and then dispatched with a bite to the neck/spine (unless it’s insects because that’s just like eating popcorn). 

This falcon was originally found exclusively in native forests and dense brush. However with extensive deforestation they have adapted to open grasslands and agricultural areas. 

A big thanks to my dad for this excellent wood panel to work on and thanks to you all for looking at birds with me.