Date: 5/23/26 2:03 pm From: Timothy Barksdale <timothy.barksdale...> Subject: Re: [cobirds] ID help please! Juvie Peregrine or a Prairie Falcon?
CO Birders
I also see a long winged falcon as Tony noted, but I feel the tail /primary
difference is due to angles, not the actual lengths.
The malar stripe is well within "normal" peregrine (especially tundrius).
We all need to remember that a lot of "Heinz 57" peregrines are out there.
Even USFWS relied upon some birds with Scottish genes.
At the Alton, Illinois eyrie about a week ago, I was struck by how much the
male looked like one of the arctic breeders which I filmed at Kuujuaq years
ago, while the female has one of the most "anatum" heads- almost like a
Helmet. So even within mated pairs there is quite a range of variation,
which produces offspring carrying a ton of genetic material all over the
place.
Tim B.
Mokane, MO and Choteau, MT
On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 8:22:18 PM UTC-5 Tony Leukering wrote:
> All:
>
> My Brit friend is confused by the bird in the photos:
>
> " The pictures are just awkward enough to create some uncertainty. The
> shape of the malar looks blobby and round-ended; it looks odd to me for
> Hobby, but I have no explanation for what it could be. Bill is small on
> Hobby."
>
> If we rule out Eurasian Hobby, what about other falcons not on the CO
> state list? Aplomado doesn't work at all. Juvenile Red-footed Falcon
> doesn't sport so much black on the face. And none of Oriental Falcon, Bat
> Falcon, and Orange-breasted Falcon looks anything like the Weld bird, even
> as juvs. And that's the end of the list of even remotely possible wild
> occurrences by *Falco* species not on the ABA-Area list. And it doesn't
> look like a juvenile Eleonora's Falcon (a beast I'd really like to see due
> to its hunting habits; Eleonora's falcon - Wikipedia
> <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleonora%27s_falcon> ).
>
> It still looks more like a hobby than any other falcon I've seen, and if
> the bird is not a Eurasian Hobby, then we might need to think about what
> odd hybrids falconers may have created that might match this bird's
> appearance.
>
> Enjoy,
>
> Tony Leukering
> Cut Bank, MT
>
> On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 5:55:02 PM UTC-6 Tony Leukering wrote:
>
>> Note that the wingtips extend beyond the tail tip, a feature not true for
>> Prairie or Peregrine, particularly for the shorter-winged juveniles.
>>
>> Tony Leukering
>>
>> On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 5:35:36 PM UTC-6 Tony Leukering wrote:
>>
>>> As suggested to me by Dave Leatherman, that looks more like an Eurasian
>>> Hobby. I've sent a screen grab to a Brit friend in Connecticut for his
>>> opinion.
>>>
>>> Tony Leukering
>>> Cut Bank, MT
>>>
>>> On Tuesday, May 19, 2026 at 4:25:47 PM UTC-6 Peter Ruprecht wrote:
>>>
>>>> I'd go with immature Peregrine. The malar is too wide for a Prairie,
>>>> and I'd expect a Prairie of any age to have a more distinct light
>>>> supercilium.
>>>>
>>>> Peter Ruprecht
>>>> Superior
>>>>
>>>> On Tue, May 19, 2026 at 3:37 PM <jay......> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> All:
>>>>>
>>>>> I'm a bit stumped on this ID. Seen this morning in a filed just north
>>>>> of Union Res in Weld Co. Bird was sitting in the field for 10+minutes and
>>>>> I got a few pics from scope.
>>>>>
>>>>> So I figure it's either a juvenille Peregrine or a Prairie Falcon.
>>>>> Obvious dark mustache, white cheeks and throat.
>>>>>
>>>>> Please comment away!
>>>>>
>>>>> Jay Hutchins
>>>>> Longmont
>>>>>
>>>>> [image: image0.jpeg][image: image1.jpeg][image: image2.jpeg][image:
>>>>> image3.jpeg]
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Sent from my iPhone
>>>>>
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>>>>
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