A swift and agile flier, the aplomado falcon employs a variety of hunting techniques and takes a wide range of prey. At dawn, it generally hunts birds by making a quick dash from a perch and chasing them through the air. At dusk, however, this species more commonly feeds on airborne insects such as beetles, which it catches on the wing, and will also snatch rodents, lizards and small snakes from the ground. Interestingly, aplomado falcon breeding pairs assist one another in hunting, with the female flushing birds from vegetation while the male flies overhead (4). This generally results in improved hunting success and enables the pair to take larger prey (2) (4).
The aplomado falcon’s breeding season varies according to location, breeding between February and August in Mexico, September and January in central Argentina, and November onwards in Chile. It generally uses old, unoccupied nests of other raptors, or occasionally a natural ledge formed by epiphytes growing on trees, shrubs or cacti. The female lays a clutch of two or three eggs, which are incubated for around one month, fledging around 30 to 35 days later (4).