Red-necked Falcon

The Red-necked Falcon is a fast, elegant hunter of open savanna and farmland across sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent. Its most distinctive feature, the bright chestnut cap and hindneck, is echoed in its feathers, making shed crown and nape feathers instantly recognizable.

It often nests in old crow or other raptor stick nests in tall trees or palms, and prefers habitats with a mix of open ground for hunting and scattered perches.

Feathers from this species combine two strong color zones: warm rufous on the head and cool slate-grey barring on the back and flight feathers, a combination not shared by most other falcons in its range.

Shape and size

• Primaries are narrow and pointed, 12-17 cm long, consistent with a fast-flying open-country falcon.
• Tail feathers are long relative to body size and evenly barred with dark and pale grey bands.

Color and pattern

• Crown and nape feathers are solid rich chestnut, unlike the streaked or barred crown feathers of most other falcons.
• Back and wing covert feathers are slate-grey with narrow whitish barring.
• Underparts feathers are white to pale grey with fine dark barring on the flanks; throat feathers are clean white.
• Shafts are dark on flight feathers, pale on the chestnut crown feathers.

Similar species

• The solid chestnut crown/nape feather is diagnostic; no other sympatric falcon shows this exact head color combined with slate-grey barred back feathers.

Adults of both sexes are similar, with a chestnut crown and nape, slate-grey barred upperparts, white throat, and white underparts barred with grey on the flanks; females average slightly larger. Juveniles are duller and browner with less crisp barring and a less vivid chestnut cap, gradually acquiring adult coloration after the first molt.

Found in open and semi-open country including savanna, farmland, and riverine woodland edges across much of sub-Saharan Africa, with a separate population in India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. It is largely resident, though some populations may shift locally with seasonal food and water availability.

Hunts small birds and large insects in fast, agile pursuit flights, often around palm groves and villages. Frequently nests in tall palms or in old stick nests built by crows or other raptors. Its call is a sharp, repeated chattering given especially near the nest.

Field note: look for shed feathers near tall palm or tree nest sites and along open field edges where it perches to hunt.