Friday, December 25, 2020

Fri-D: How To Tell Perched Falcons From Other Raptors By Shape

This week I rode by a sodden, rainy day Peregrine Falcon perched grumpily near the Cape May, NJ ferry terminal, and the child within me laughed.

Perched falcons are broad-shouldered, broad and full chested thanks to powerful flying muscles, with small heads. They look attenuated at the rear thanks to the narrow waist and long wings. Most have powerful feet. After 36 years teaching about birds, this gobbledy-junk feels bloody boring. Not boring to me, necessarily, but boring and even confusing to some portion of the people I teach. Not memorable.

But children of the 1970's,  you have seen this shape before.

Bird like a kid now and then.



 

 

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