The sighting of a rare species of falcon was reported from Nelliampathy in Palakkad district. It is said to be the first sighting of this species from Kerala in a decade.
The Shaheen falcon, also known as the Indian Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) was found on a tree in Seethargundu hilly area in Nelliampathy during a bird survey conducted by Zubair Medammal, falcon researcher and assistant professor, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut. He said that the peregrine falcon, weighing around 1kg, was found on a tree in Seethargundu hilly area in Nelliampathy and it might have migrated from north to the region.
“It is assumed that the bird landed in Nelliampathy area during a migratory flight. Falcons are diurnal and migratory birds and they have two major migratory routes to Arabian Peninsula. The first route draws from Europe and Baltic states to the Mediterranean through Syria, Lebanon and the Red Sea. The second draws from the Caucasus, crossing Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran, then to the Gulf area before dispersing to Africa. From September to November, they move to the eastern and western coasts of the Arabian Peninsula, as this is the peak migration season of their prey species,” Zubair said.
Falcons form a very well specialised and spectacular group of hunting birds and are exhaustively termed as ‘hunting dogs of the skies.’ Peregrine falcon found in Nelliampathy belongs to the Falconidae family, which comes under the order Falconiformes, sub order Falcones. The Peregrine falcon is widely spread all over the world except Antarctica and is largely found in the northern parts of the country. Zubair further says,
“The falcon has always been regarded as a very uncommon and shy bird, and it is very rarely observed by amateur birdwatchers. In the case of Peregrine falcon, it is a highly vulnerable species according to the IUCN.
It faces a number of threats to survival including ecological threats as poaching and other man-made hazards.
