| |
| Red-necked Falcon Falco chicquera chicquera
- Feeding behaviour |
 |
| Photographer : | © Soma Ateesh |
| Location : | Tal Chappar WLS, Churu District, Rajasthan, India |
| Date : |
30 November 2012 |
| English synonyms: | Rednecked Falcon, Red-headed Falcon, Red-necked Kestrel, Red-headed Kestrel, Red-headed Merlin |
| Bird Family : | Falconidae - Falcons, Falconets & Kestrels |
| Bird Group : | CICONIIFORMES |
| Red Data Status : | Least Concern |
| Remarks : | We observed this very bizarre feeding behaviour with this pair of Red-necked Falcons, where the male performed hunting at dawn and brought the prey (Eurasian Collared Dove Streptopelia decaocto) to the female (larger one on the right side). Female then took complete control of the prey and started to clean up and dismember it, taking out big chunks of meat. She wouldn't allow the male to eat out of it when he approached. Eventually, the male begged for food, to which she happily obliged by feeding him like a juvenile. He would open his gape, which she probably mistook for a juvenile. This cycle of beg-feed-beg continued while we moved our vehicles away from them. - SA |
| |
