Falcons are birds of prey in the genus Falco, comprising around 40 species. Smaller species with long, narrow wings are known as hobbies, while those that hover while hunting are called kestrels. Falcons are found on every continent except Antarctica.
Adult falcons have slender, tapered wings that allow for high-speed flight and quick directional changes. Fledgling falcons have longer flight feathers, resembling general-purpose birds, which aids them during their learning phase.
As the largest genus in the Falconinae subfamily of the Falconidae family, falcons, along with caracaras and a few other species, use their beaks to capture prey, featuring a distinctive tomial “tooth.” This contrasts with hawks and eagles in the unrelated Accipitridae family, which rely on their talons.
