Birds of Mexico


Merlin (Falco columbarius columbarius) Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA A small migratory falcon that is very slightly larger and less colorful than the American Kestrel.
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

A small migratory falcon that is very slightly larger and less colorful than the American Kestrel.


Orange-breasted Falcon (Falco deiroleucus) Near Threatened Chapada dos Guimarães, Brazil
Photograph by Tropical Birding (Nick Athanas) © All Rights Reserved.

A large falcon (male is smaller) similarly colored to the Bat Falcon, except with a well-defined orange band across the chest.


Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis) Mendoza, Argentina
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

Perhaps a tiny bit smaller than the Peregrine Falcon. Uncommon. Found in open areas and usually far from people.


Prairie Falcon (Falco mexicanus) Salton Sea, California, United States
Photograph by Tom Benson Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported. In short: you are free to share the file for non-commercial purposes under the conditions that you appropriately attribute it, and that you distribute it only under a license identical to this one. You may not alter, transform, or build upon this work.


Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Spain
Photograph by Carlos Delgado Copyright and usage info This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 4.0 License. You are free to copy, distribute and transmit the work, and to adapt the work under the following conditions: You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work) If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under the same or similar license to this one.

A medium-sized falcon believed to be the fastest animal on the planet. Note the black mask. Peregrine means wanderer, and this species is possible almost anywhere.
In flight.


Bat Falcon (Falco rufigularis petoensis) Tatama National Park, Pueblo Rico, Risaralda, Colombia A small falcon, but larger than a Merlin or Kestrel.
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Male Montevideo, Uruguay
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.


American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) Female Dry Tortugas National Park, Florida, USA The female has a brown wing.
Photograph by Tom Friedel © All Rights Reserved.

A small falcon found throughout the Americas and Caribbean. Some races migrate. Feeds on small rodents and lizards. Sometimes hovers.