Home > Illustration > Wildlife > Birds > Birds of Prey > Prairie Falcon

Prairie Falcon

Prairie Falcon line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Prairie Falcon full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Prairie Falcon was completed on 6.23.2010. The smaller birds of prey of North America will always be a favorite subject of mine. Ever since completing the Peregrine Falcon, I'd been meaning to add the Prairie Falcon. The drawing is based on a photo by the talented naturalist photographer Ron Wolf.

Information about the Prairie Falcon:

The Prairie Falcon is a medium to smaller sized bird of prey native to the western parts of  North America. They inhabit a variety of environments, including of course prairie an open grasslands, high deserts and mountainous tundra in the summer. They feed mostly on small mammals and birds, which are usually caught while in flight. They tend to hunt fairly close to the ground, with an estimated speed of up to 45 MPH. Like Peregrines, they will attack birds in flight, knocking into them and then grasping them in their talons. They are occasionally used in falconry.