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. 2019 Dec 7;9(24):14523–14537. doi: 10.1002/ece3.5864

Table 1.

List of falcon species

Falcon species Common name Breeding range Clade
Falco ardosiaceus Grey Kestrel Africa Dissodectes Group
Falco dickinsoni Dickinson's Kestrel Africa Dissodectes Group
Falco concolor Sooty Falcon Northeast Africa and Middle East Hobby Group
Falco cuvierii African Hobby Africa Hobby Group
Falco eleonorae Eleonora's Falcon Mediterranean Basin Hobby Group
Falco longipennis Australian Hobby Australia Hobby Group
Falco severus Oriental Hobby Indian Subcontinent to Indochina Hobby Group
Falco subbuteo Eurasian Hobby Africa, Europa, and Asia Hobby Group
Falco biarmicus Lanner Falcon Africa, Southeast Europe, Southwest Asia Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco cherrug Saker Falcon Eastern Europe and Central Asia Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco chicquera Red‐necked Falcons Africa and Indian Subcontinent Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco fasciinucha Taita Falcon East Africa Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco hypoleucos Grey Falcon Australia Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco jugger Laggar Falcon Indian Subcontinent Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco mexicanus Prairie Falcon Western North America Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco pelegrinoides a Barbary Falcon Northern Africa, Middle East, Central Asia Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco peregrinus Peregrine Falcon Global (except Antarctica) Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco rusticolus Gyrfalcon Arctic (North America, Europe, and Asia) Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco subniger Black Falcon Australia Large and Mid‐sized Falcons
Falco aesalon b Eurasian Merlin Northern Europe to Central Asia Merlin
Falco columbarius b American Merlin North and South America Merlin
Falco sparverius American Kestrel North and South America [Ungrouped]
Falco alopex Fox Kestrel Africa Old World Kestrels
Falco araea Seychelles Kestrel Seychelles Islands (Indian Ocean) Old World Kestrels
Falco cenchroides Nankeen Kestrel Australia and New Guinea Old World Kestrels
Falco moluccensis Spotted Kestrel Indonesia Old World Kestrels
Falco naumanni Lesser Kestrel Mediterranean Basin, Central and East Asia Old World Kestrels
Falco newtoni Malagasy Kestrel Madagascar and Aldabra Old World Kestrels
Falco punctatus Mauritius Kestrel Mauritius Old World Kestrels
Falco rupicoloides Greater Kestrel Africa Old World Kestrels
Falco rupicolus Rock Kestrel Africa Old World Kestrels
Falco tinnunculus Common Kestrel Europa, Asia, Africa Old World Kestrels
Falco zoniventris Banded Kestrel Madagascar Old World Kestrels
Falco amurensis Amur Falcon Siberia and Northern China Red‐footed Group
Falco vespertinus Red‐footed Falcon Eastern Europe and Central Asia Red‐footed Group
Falco deiroleucus Orange‐breasted Falcon Mexico to Northern South America Southern American Group
Falco rufigularis Bat Falcon Mexico to Northern South America Southern American Group
Falco femoralis Aplomado Falcon Mexico to South America Southern Group
Falco novaeseelandiae New Zealand Falcon New Zealand (primarily South Island) Southern Group
Falco berigora Brown Falcon Australia and New Guinea [Ungrouped]
a

Disputed species sometimes listed as subspecies of peregrine.

b

Merlins are sometimes treated as a single species as Falco columbarius. For a discussion of divergence between American and Eurasian merlins, see Wink et al. (1998) and Fuchs et al. (2015).