Northern Aplomado Falcon

(Falco femoralis septentrionalis)

Date of Listing: Endangered, 1986

© Glen Mills, TPWD

Aplomado Falcons are most often seen in pairs. They do not build their own nests, but use stick nests built by other birds. Pairs work together to find prey and flush it from cover. Aplomados are fast fliers, and often chase prey animals as they try to escape into dense grass. Parents make 25-30 hunting attempts per day in order to feed their young. Chicks are fed 6 or more times each day.

Note: Special thanks to the photographers for providing images of Texas endangered and threatened animals. All rights to these images are reserved. Educational use permitted.

Aplomado Falcons are endangered because their grassland habitat has been altered by overgrazing and brush invasion. Changing rangeland into farmland has destroyed large areas of habitat. Contamination from pesticides entering the food chain has also reduced the number of Aplomado Falcons.

Size:

15-18 in. long, 32-36 in. wingspan.

Diet:

Mostly birds and insects.

Habitat (where it lives):

Open grassland or savannah with scattered trees or shrubs.

Range (where found in Texas):

South Texas and the Trans-Pecos region.

Life Span:

Up to 20 years in captivity.

Reproduction:

2-3 eggs laid in April and May.

Population Numbers:

Falcons are being reintroduced in south Texas to bring back the population.

Interesting Fact:

In 1995, as part of the reintroduction project, the first nesting pair of Aplomado Falcons in Texas in 43 years successfully raised a chick.