Falco vespertinus
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The red-footed falcon (Falco vespertinus), formerly the western red-footed falcon, is a bird of prey. It belongs to the family Falconidae, the falcons. This bird is found in eastern Europe and Asia although its numbers are dwindling rapidly due to habitat loss and hunting. It is migratory, wintering in Africa. It is a regular wanderer to western Europe, and in August 2004 a red-footed falcon was found in North America for the first time on the island of Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.
The Amur falcon was formerly included herein as a subspecies but it is nowadays considered distinct. Nonetheless, it is the present species' closest relative; their relationship to other falcons is more enigmatic. They appear morphologically somewhat intermediate between kestrels and hobbies and DNA sequence data has been unable to further resolve this question, mainly due to lack of comprehensive sampling. They might be closer to the merlin than to most other living falcons, or more generally related to this species and American falcons such as the American kestrel and the aplomado falcon.
The genus name Falco is from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referencing the claws of the bird... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hortobágy National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 2 | Kiskunság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 3 | Fertő-Hanság National Park | 🇭🇺 Hungary | |
| 4 | Biebrza National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 5 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 6 | Chobe National Park | 🇧🇼 Botswana | |
| 7 | Etosha National Park | 🇳🇦 Namibia | |
| 8 | Białowieża National Park | 🇵🇱 Poland | |
| 9 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 10 | Kruger National Park | 🇿🇦 South Africa |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Red-footed Falcon sighting in Chobe National Park on a given day, based on 12 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 302nd most-seen of the 373 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
December
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Red-footed Falcon in Chobe National Park on a given day, against under 5% in January to November, the lowest months. That is one of Chobe National Park's wettest months, with about 95 mm of rain against almost none in May.
Between 6 and 9 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Red-footed Falcon sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
6th of 10
Of the 10 parks where we can rate Red-footed Falcon sightings, Chobe National Park ranks 6th at under 5%. The best odds are in Hortobágy National Park (Hungary, about 20%), Kiskunság National Park (Hungary, about 20%) and Fertő-Hanság National Park (Hungary, about 10%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Red-footed Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Chobe National Park (12 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.
