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Eleonora's falcon preparing to land on a rock

Eleonora's falcon

Eleonora's falcons are unusual because they change their diet when the breeding season arrives. Normally, they eat flying insects, such as dragonflies and locusts. When small migrating birds pass through the area, however, the falcons switch to hunting these and use this sudden abundance of food to feed their chicks.

Scientific name: Falco eleonorae

Rank: Species

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Distribution

Map showing the distribution of the Eleonora's falcon taxa

Species range provided by WWF's Wildfinder.

The Eleonora's falcon can be found in a number of locations including: Africa, Madagascar, Mediterranean. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.

Habitats

The following habitats are found across the Eleonora's falcon distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.

Behaviours

Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.

Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web

Conservation Status

Least Concern

  1. EX - Extinct
  2. EW
  3. CR - Threatened
  4. EN - Threatened
  5. VU - Threatened
  6. NT
  7. LC - Least concern

Year assessed: 2009

Classified by: IUCN 3.1

About

Eleonora's Falcon (Falco eleonorae) is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis. The Sooty Falcon is sometimes considered its closest relative, but while they certainly belong to the same lineage, they do not seem to be close sister species. Eleonora's Falcon is named after Eleonor of Arborea, national heroine of Sardinia.

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