Movements and Genetics of
Grey Falcons
Falco hypoleucos, Gould, 1841.
A research project by
Jonny Schoenjahn
Perth, Western Australia.
Identification Hints - updated regularly
Photographs by, and courtesy of: Gary Porter, Jim Robinson, Stella Blay, Bob Cook.
Grey Falcon Falco hypoleucos. Photo by Gary Porter.
Not only is the Grey Falcon a rare species, it also can be difficult to correctly identify. In fact, a good number of supposed sightings are actually other species, and not only raptors. So here I want to give some identification hints and discuss some of the field marks.

  • Rule No. 1: If you don't see the bright orange-yellow of the legs/feet, the base of the bill, the cere and around the eyes, then almost definitely it's not a Grey Falcon.

  • Rule No. 2: If the legs/feet are bright orange-yellow but not the cere, then it's not a Grey Falcon.

  • Rule No. 3: Do not rely on the dark wingtips, they are a misleading, not diagnostic field mark.
Look at the photograph above, taken in 2006 in Queensland, by Gary Porter. It becomes very clear that the orange-yellow of the bare parts are something that will stay in your memory after you have put down your binoculars.
2 Grey Falcons, possibly in their first year. Photo by the late Jim Robinson.

Genrally, true Falcons are believed to moult from their juvenile plumage more or less gradually into the adult plumage without acquiring a well-defined immature plumage. And that post-juvenile or first pre-basic moult typically occurs at about one year of age. The same may be true for the Grey Falcon, and I trust I will be able to comment on that issue in a couple of years time.

I did not list the dark wingtips as an identification mark, and for a good reason. Almost all light-coloured and light-phased raptors have dark wingtips to some extend: Brown Falcon, Nankeen Kestrel, Little Eagle, Squared-tailed Kite, etc. Further, I have seen one superb photo of an adult Grey Falcon, where the sun shines through the wings and there is no hint of a dark wingtip at all.

From a distance and especially in poor light or against the sun and when perched, other mid-sized birds can be mistaken for a Grey Falcon. Don't blame yourself if a Galah, a Crested Pigeon or a Black-faced Cuckoo-shrike excites you. Many times I have checked one of those or other species as to whether they are Grey Falcons or not, and I will keep doing so.

Please keep sending in your records.

Cheers,
Jonny

Black Falcon Falco subniger. Photo by Stella Blay.
Brown Falcon Falco berigora, a light individual. Photo by Bob Cook.
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