Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus)

While in Bulgaria we were driving along the road and noticed some interesting birds sitting on a telegraph poll, we pulled over to see a pair of Red-footed Falcons (Falco vespertinus).

This is the first time we have seen these birds.  We watched them hunt for about 20mins and I grabbed some photographs.   I couldn’t get very close to the birds so the photos are poor but you should still see how beautiful the birds are.

 

 

Some info from Wikipedia

The Red-footed Falcon (Falco vespertinus), formerly Western Red-footed Falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa. It is a regular wanderer to western Europe, and in August 2004 a Red-footed Falcon was found in North America for the first time on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts.

 

 

Red-footed Falcon Female taken with mobile phone via scope

 

Red-footed Falcon male

 

Red-footed Falcon Female

 

The adult male is all blue-grey, except for his red undertail and legs; its underwings are uniformly grey. The female has a grey back and wings, orange head and underparts, and a white face with black eye stripe and moustaches. Young birds are brown above and buff below with dark streaks, and a face pattern like the female. Red-footed Falcons are 28–34 cm (11–13½ in) in length with a wingspan of 65–75 cm (25½–29½ in). The average mass is 155 g (5.5 oz).

 

Really enjoyed watching these birds, can’t decide if the male or the female is the most impressive of the species.