Falco subniger
Silhouette: Shyamal · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5%
The black falcon (Falco subniger) is a medium-large falcon that is endemic to Australia. It can be found in all mainland states and territories and yet is regarded as Australia's most under-studied falcon. Size (adult, beak to tail): 45 – 56 cm (average 50 cm), tail makes up about half the length. Note: Females are larger than males - this is a form of sexual dimorphism.
Average weight: 833 g (female) 582 g (male). Wing span: 95 –115 cm. Colouration is uniform dark brown to sooty black; juveniles are generally darker than adults; underwing feathers are two-tone (flight feathers slightly paler); adults may have an evident dark stripe below the eye. Occasionally the birds may have a white chin, spots on underwing coverts or bars on undertail coverts. Cere, eye ring and feet are pale grey (or pale blue-grey); eye is dark brown and beak tip is black. Talons are black. Chick is white down.
The falcon's body is streamlined with a relatively long tail and slim build. Wings are long and pointed... Wikipedia →
Call1:02
Australia · 2020
© Marc Anderson · XC679529 · CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kakadu National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia | |
| 2 | Hattah-Kulkyne National Park | 🇦🇺 Australia |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | 🇦🇺 Australia |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Falcon sighting in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, based on 7 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 160th most-seen of the 170 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, if each day is a fresh chance.
Any time of year
In every month with enough records, under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Black Falcon in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park on a given day, so our monthly data shows no clear season.
Between 11 am and 2 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Black Falcon sightings with a recorded time, and nearly all of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 2 parks where we can rate Black Falcon sightings, Hattah-Kulkyne National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Kakadu National Park (Australia, under 5%).
Same genus: Falco
The closest relatives of the Black Falcon that you can see in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (genus Falco, Typical Falcons) are Australian Kestrel (about 10%) and Brown Falcon (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Black Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Hattah-Kulkyne National Park (7 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.
