Synopses & Reviews
This book explores a marvelous, complex bird that has not been offered the benefit of a single volume treatment. The authors have a broad grasp of their subject and are well versed in the literature relating to birds of prey in general and Prairie Falcons specifically. -- Pete Dunne, author of More Tales of a Low-Rent Birder
Skillful hunters beautiful in flight, Prairie Falcons inhabit the rocky cliffs of the American West. These raptors range from southern Canada and northern North Dakota to Baja California, Arizona, New Mexico, western and northern Texas, and southeastern Coahuila, Mexico.
This is the first book for a wide audience devoted exclusively to the Prairie Falcon. Stanley Anderson and John Squires cover all aspects of the falcon's life history from mating and rearing young to hunting behaviors and the yearly migration cycle. They provide complete descriptive characteristics for identifying Prairie Falcons and also compare them to other raptors, especially the closely related Peregrine Falcon.
In addition, the authors recount the long association of falcons with people, which may extend back as far as 2000 BC. They describe the practice of falconry from the Middle Ages until today. And they assess the threats to Prairie Falcons posed by human activities, from pesticide use and destruction of habitat to disruption of the breeding cycle by careless birdwatchers.
Synopsis
This is the first book for a wide audience devoted exclusively to the Prairie Falcon. Stanley Anderson and John Squires cover all aspects of the falcon's life history from mating and the rearing of young to hunting behaviors and the yearly migration cycle. They provide complete descriptive characteristics for identifying Prairie Falcons on the wing and also compare them to other raptors, especially the closely related Peregrine Falcon. In addition, the authors recount the long association of falcons with people, which may extend back as far as 2000 B.C. They describe the practice of falconry from the Middle Ages until today. (Currently, there are some 10,000 to 20,000 falconers around the world.) And the authors assess the threats to Prairie Falcons posed by human activities, from pesticide use and destruction of habitat to the unintentional (but sometimes fatal) disruption of the breeding cycle by careless birdwatchers. Beautifully illustrated with color photographs, this book will be an essential reference for everyone fascinated by birds of prey, from avocational birders to professional ornithologists.
Synopsis
In addition, the authors recount the long association of falcons with people, which may extend back as far as 2000 BC. They describe the practice of falconry from the Middle Ages until today. And they assess the threats to Prairie Falcons posed by human activities, from pesticide use and destruction of habitat to disruption of the breeding cycle by careless birdwatchers.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. 149-158) and index.