Falco femoralis
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The aplomado falcon (Falco femoralis) is a medium-sized falcon of the Americas. The species' largest continuous range is in South America, but not in the deep interior Amazon Basin. It was long known as Falco fusco-coerulescens or Falco fuscocaerulescens, but these names are now believed to refer to the bat falcon (F. rufigularis). Its resemblance in shape to the hobbies accounts for its old name orange-chested hobby. Aplomado is an unusual Spanish word for "lead-colored", referring to the blue-grey areas of the plumage; an approximate English translation would be "plumbeous falcon". Spanish names for the species include halcón aplomado and halcón fajado (roughly "banded falcon", in reference to the characteristic pattern); in Brazil it is known as falcão-de-coleira (roughly "collared falcon", in reference to the white throat).
The aplomado falcon is very slender, long-winged, and long-tailed, the size of a small peregrine falcon (F. peregrinus), at 30–40 cm (12–16 in) long and with an average wingspan of about 90 cm (35 in), but only half the weight, at about 208–305 g (7.3–10.8 oz) in males and 270–460 g (9.5–16.2 oz) in females. In adult birds, the upperparts are... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Emas National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 2 | Lauca National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 3 | Serra da Canastra National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Iberá National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 5 | El Palmar National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 6 | Chapada Diamantina National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Padre Island National Seashore | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 8 | Península Valdés | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 9 | Chapada dos Guimarães National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 10 | Parque Estadual Encontro das Águas | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 11 | Caroni Swamp | 🇹🇹 Trinidad and Tobago | |
| 12 | El Impenetrable National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 13 | Nahuel Huapi National Park | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 14 | Tijuca National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 15 | Torres del Paine National Park | 🇨🇱 Chile | |
| 16 | Sierra de la Macarena National Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 17 | Farallones de Cali National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia | |
| 18 | Iguaçu National Park | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 19 | Los Nevados National Natural Park | 🇨🇴 Colombia |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Toronto Zoo | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Bioparque Municipal Vesty Pakos | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 3 | Granja los Pibes | 🇦🇷 Argentina | |
| 4 | Tracy Aviary | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Zoológico de Oruro | 🇧🇴 Bolivia | |
| 6 | Parque dos Falcões | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 7 | Zoológico de Canindé | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 8 | Children's Aquarium at Fair Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 9 | Cascades Raptor Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Aplomado Falcon sighting in Caroni Swamp on a given day, based on 13 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 132nd most-seen of the 169 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
September
In that month about 20% of wildlife watchers report an Aplomado Falcon in Caroni Swamp on a given day, against under 5% in August and November–June, the lowest months. That is one of Caroni Swamp's wettest months, with about 110 mm of rain against 25 mm in February.
Between 2 and 5 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Aplomado Falcon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
11th of 19
Of the 19 parks where we can rate Aplomado Falcon sightings, Caroni Swamp ranks 11th at under 5%. The best odds are in Emas National Park (Brazil, about 60%), Lauca National Park (Chile, about 20%) and Serra da Canastra National Park (Brazil, about 10%).
Same genus: Falco
The closest relatives of the Aplomado Falcon that you can see in Caroni Swamp (genus Falco, Typical Falcons) are Peregrine Falcon (about 10%) and Merlin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Aplomado Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Caroni Swamp (13 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
