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Falcons and Caracaras: Falconidae

Falcons, Caracaras, And People

Falcons are admired for their flying and hunting skills, and they appear in legends and on flags and shields of many countries. In ancient Egypt, Horus was a god who looked like a falcon. About 4,000 years ago, people began to use falcons and hawks to capture meat for themselves. This is called falconry, and some people still practice it today.

HAWK OR FALCON?

Birds in the hawk family and in the falcon family have many things in common, including the sharp talons and hooked beaks that all raptors have. Both hawks and falcons catch prey with their feet. But hawks usually kill their prey by squeezing it with their feet, and falcons kill by biting the prey's neck or by landing hard on it. Falcons in general are smaller than hawks and their wings are pointier. Hawks build nests and falcons nest on the ground, on rocky ledges, or in nests built by other birds.

Additional topics

Animal Life ResourceBirdsFalcons and Caracaras: Falconidae - Physical Characteristics, Behavior And Reproduction, Falcons, Caracaras, And People, Crested Caracara (polyborus Plancus): Species Accounts - GEOGRAPHIC RANGE, HABITAT, DIET, CONSERVATION STATUS