Falco alopex

Geographic Range

Falco alopex , more commonly known as the fox kestrel, is a species of kestrel native to the Ethiopian region of the planet (“Falco alopex”). The species resides in a narrow sub-Saharan band that lies between the 1˚N latitude line and 17˚N latitude line (Christie and Ferguson-Lees, 2001). This band spans multiple countries from Gambia and Guinea on the western half of the continent to Ethiopia and Eritrea on the eastern side (“Falco alopex”). Populations in the inner area of the range are sedentary while populations that live closer to the boundaries of the range may migrate south during the dry season and north during the rainy season (“Fox kestrel fact file”, 2018). Occasionally, individuals that live on the outskirts of the species’ range will migrate southwards to Kenya after the end of the breeding season (Christie and Ferguson-Lees, 2001).

• Biogeographic Regions
• ethiopian ethiopian
  • native native

Habitat

Falco alopex is native to the semi-desert and savanna areas of sub-Saharan Africa (“Fox kestrel fact file”, 2018). Along the southern border of their geographic range, some members of the species may be found in wetter areas or even dwelling in open grasslands (Rondaeu and van Zyl, 2011). Regardless of geographic location, Falco alopex favors rocky cliffs, outcroppings on the edge of the savanna, and desert as living areas and will only build nests in these locations (Bouglouan, 2011).

• Habitat Regions
• tropical tropical
• terrestrial terrestrial

• Terrestrial Biomes
• desert or dune desert or dune
• savanna or grassland savanna or grassland

Physical Description

Male and female Falco alopex are similar in appearance, though the females are slightly larger in size (Bouglouan, 2011). The plumage of an adult Falco alopex ranges from chestnut brown to reddish brown and covers its entire body. This distinctive rusty coloration has earned the species its common name of fox kestrel and differentiates them from other kestrels, which tend to be more pale and dark brown in color (Christie and Ferguson-Lees, 2001). Most of the plumage is streaked with black, and black banding appears on their tail feathers (Sinclair, 2009). Only the throat, the flanks and the undersides of the wings possess no banding or streaks and have pale silver-white bases (Sinclair, 2009). The beak is black and hook-shaped with a grey base and yellow cere, which matches the skin surrounding its eyes (Bouglouan, 2011). The eyes themselves are pale brown in color. The legs of Falco alopex are long, bald, and yellow in color with short yellow toes (Bouglouan, 2011). Juveniles possess similar plumage to adults but with heavier streaking and barring of the feathers, along with blue-grey facial skin and yellow-green legs (“Fox kestrel fact file”, 2010).

• Other Physical Features
• endothermic endothermic
• homoiothermic
• bilateral symmetry bilateral symmetry

• Sexual Dimorphism
• sexes alike
• female larger

Reproduction

Falco alopex engages in a simple mating ritual in which a male and female pair will soar and call close to the nesting area (Bouglouan 2011). Mating, breeding, and nesting activities can occur in colonies of 20 to 25 individuals ("Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex) 2018).

• Mating System
• monogamous monogamous

The breeding season of Falco alopex varies slightly by location, but after mating occurs nests are built by the parents in rocky cliffs and outcroppings ("Fox kestrel fact file" 2010) in loose colonies consisting of 20 to 25 breeding pairs (Bouglouan 2011). The female lays two to three eggs during this time (Bouglouan 2011).

• Key Reproductive Features
• iteroparous iteroparous
• seasonal breeding seasonal breeding
• gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate)
• sexual sexual
• oviparous oviparous

A female Falco alopex incubates eggs until they hatch while the male delivers food to the female and assists in protecting the nest (Bouglouan 2011). After hatching, the females raise the young to maturity, after which the young live relatively solitary lifestyles ("Fox kestrel fact file" 2010).

• Parental Investment
• precocial precocial
• female parental care female parental care
• pre-hatching/birth
  • protecting
    • male
• pre-weaning/fledging
  • provisioning
    • female
  • protecting
    • female

Lifespan/Longevity

Little information is available regarding the exact lifespan of Falco alopex , but it is closely related to the American kestrel (Bouglouan 2011), which has a lifespan of less than five years in the wild (Christie and Ferguson-Lees 2001).

Behavior

Falco alopex is a solitary species, only coming together in loosely organized colonies of 20 to 25 individuals during the breeding season (Bouglouan 2011). During the rest of the year, fox kestrels spend most of their time hunting their prey by perching at a vantage point and using their keen eyesight to spot movement ("Fox kestrel fact file" 2010). Like other species of kestrel, Falco alopex is capable of hovering for short periods of time while hunting, though this behavior is observed less in this species than in other varieties of kestrel (The Raptor Research Foundation and Inc 2002). Another method of predation that Falco alopex engages in is waiting at the edges of grass fires to catch insects and other small creatures driven out of hiding by the flames (Bouglouan 2011).

• Key Behaviors
• flies
• motile motile
• solitary solitary

Home Range

Falco alopex most often remain in one limited area within their geographic range, though some vagrant populations on the edges of the geographic range do migrate during the dry and wet seasons (Bouglouan 2011).

Communication and Perception

Like most raptors, Falco alopex relies mainly on its excellent eyesight to perceive the world around it (Bouglouan, 2011). This heightened visual sense is vital to the survival of the species as the favored prey of fox kestrels are small, ground-dwelling vertebrates, many of which have evolved some form of camouflage (Rondaeu and van Zyl, 2011). Falco alopex does not often vocalize; but they do become noisy during the breeding season, performing a high-pitched screech (Bouglouan, 2011).

• Communication Channels
• acoustic acoustic

• Perception Channels
• visual visual
• tactile tactile
• acoustic acoustic
• chemical chemical

Food Habits

Falco alopex is carnivorous and mainly feeds on small vertebrates and insects (Rondaeu and van Zyl, 2011). Their prey ranges from lizards, small mammals, and other birds to insects, which Falco alopex often catches mid-flight (Bouglouan, 2011). Falco alopex can be observed feeding on insects more often during grass fires, as it waits near the edge of the fire and catches any large insects that are driven out of the grass by the flames (Kemp and Kemp, 2001).

• Primary Diet
• carnivore carnivore
  • eats terrestrial vertebrates
  • insectivore insectivore

• Animal Foods
• birds
• mammals
• reptiles
• insects

Predation

Falco alopex has no natural predators in its range, as the few animals large enough to consume a fox kestrel are not capable of catching one due to species’ ability to fly ("Fox kestrel fact file").

Ecosystem Roles

There is a lack of extensive research regarding the impact of Falco alopex on its community, but it has the habits of a keystone species as it is a significant predator for many small reptiles, mammals, and birds (Bouglouan, 2011).

• Ecosystem Impact
• keystone species keystone species

Economic Importance for Humans: Positive

Falco alopex is not sold for its body parts or as a pet ("Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex)", 2018). Its economic importance lies in its diet of small rodents and insects. These creatures are often harmful to crops, so Falco alopex positively impacts humans by controlling the pest population.

• Positive Impacts
• controls pest population

Economic Importance for Humans: Negative

There are no known adverse effects of Falco alopex on humans.

Conservation Status

According to the IUCN red list, Falco alopex is a species of least concern ("Falco alopex", 2016). Though they do suffer slightly from human infringement on their habitat, especially if this invasion results in degradation of the species’ hunting areas ("Fox kestrel fact file", 2010). Overall, though many populations of raptors in West Africa are declining, Falco alopex is not at risk of a significant population decline in the foreseeable future (Thiollay, 2009).

Additional Links

Encyclopedia of Life

Contributors

Megan Oppy (author), Colorado State University, Peter Leipzig (editor), Colorado State University, Tanya Dewey (editor), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

References

Bouglouan, N. 2011. "Fox Kestrel" (On-line). Oiseaux Birds. Accessed February 08, 2018 at http://www.oiseaux-birds.com/card-fox-kestrel.html .

Christie, D., J. Ferguson-Lees. 2001. Raptors of the World . Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Kemp, A., M. Kemp. 2001. Sasol Birds of Prey of Africa and its Islands . South Africa: Penguin Random House.

Rondaeu, G., A. van Zyl. 2011. "Fox Kestrel" (On-line). Global Raptor Information Network. Accessed February 08, 2018 at http://globalraptors.org/grin/SpeciesResults.asp?specID=8223 .

Sinclair, I. 2009. Birds of Southern Africa: Pocket Guide . South Africa: Struik Nature.

Thiollay, J. 2009. Raptor population decline in West Africa. Ostrich , 78: 405-413. Accessed February 08, 2018 at http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.2989/OSTRICH.2007.78.2.46.126?journalCode=tost20 .

2016. "Falco alopex" (On-line). The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Accessed February 08, 2018 at http://www.iucnredlist.org/details/22696402/0 .

2018. "Fox Kestrel (Falco alopex)" (On-line). Planet of Birds. Accessed March 01, 2018 at http://www.planetofbirds.com/falconiformes-falconidae-fox-kestrel-falco-alopex-2 .

2010. "Fox kestrel fact file" (On-line). Wildscreen Arkive. Accessed February 08, 2018 at https://www.arkive.org/fox-kestrel/falco-alopex/image-G63891.html .

The Raptor Research Foundation, Inc. 2002. "The Fox Kestrel Hovers" (On-line pdf). Accessed February 08, 2018 at https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/jrr/v036n03/p00236-p00237.pdf .