Thursday, March 22, 2007

Scout vs. Orville size comparison


In most birds of prey, including peregrine falcons, the female is physically larger than the male. In fact, for peregrines the size is so dramatic that the leg bands are even a different size between the males and females. Here are 2 pictures-1 of Scout, 1 of Orville-both in about the same place in the nest box. Can you tell which is which?

Answer: The 10:32 AM picture is Orville, the 2:18 PM picture is of Scout. Another note about Orville is his legs, feet and cere (the part of the beak below the eyes where the nostrils are located) are more yellow than Scout's. [The foot color distinction between the 2 individual birds was brought to my attention earlier this year by one of our loyal falcon fans. I apologize that I misplaced the person's name, so if you are that person please email me again so I can give you proper credit!]