Birds of Prey / Vagrant / Black falcon

• What does the black falcon look like?

   

  

  Black falcons (Falco subniger) have far longer pointed wings than New Zealand falcon and when closed their wings almost reach the tip of their tail. New Zealand falcon wings are more rounded and fall well short of the tip of the tail when closed.
  
  Black falcons are also generally larger than New Zealand falcons. They are uniformly sooty brown-black all over, especially lacking the red trousers that adult New Zealand falcon’s exhibit.

• Where does The Black Falcon live?

   

  

  The Black Falcon is a rare endemic bird of prey in Australia. It was thought to have been recorded once in Gisborne in 1983.
  
  Black falcons are an open habitat species where they occur in Australia and the sighting of the bird in Gisborne seems highly unlikely.
  
  image credits: Julian Robinson / Steve Happ / top banner: Julian Robinson