Falco eleonorae
Silhouette: Andy Wilson · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Falco. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest relative, but while they certainly belong to the same lineage, they do not seem to be close sister species. The English name and the species name eleonorae commemorate Eleanor of Arborea, Queen or Lady-Judge (Juighissa) and national heroine of Sardinia, who in 1392, under the jurisdiction conferred by the Carta de Logu, became the first ruler in history to grant protection to hawk and falcon nests against illegal hunters. The genus name Falco is from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referring to the claws of the bird.
Eleonora's falcon is a bird of prey, 36–42 cm (14–17 in) long with an 87–104 cm (34–41 in) wingspan. It is shaped like a large Eurasian hobby or a small slender peregrine falcon, with its long pointed wings, long tail and slim body.
There are two colour morphs: The adult dark morph is all sooty brown, with black underwing coverts. The light morph is more like a juvenile Eurasian hobby, but has buff underparts, and also shows... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ankarafantsika National Park | 🇲🇬 Madagascar | |
| 2 | Sierra Nevada National Park | 🇪🇸 Spain | |
| 3 | Camargue | 🇫🇷 France | |
| 4 | Pyrénées National Park | 🇫🇷 France |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report an Eleonora's Falcon sighting in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, based on 8 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 144th most-seen of the 153 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.
June
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report an Eleonora's Falcon in Sierra Nevada National Park on a given day, against under 5% in July to May, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Eleonora's 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.
Among the best
Of the 4 parks where we can rate Eleonora's Falcon sightings, Sierra Nevada National Park ranks 2nd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Ankarafantsika National Park (Madagascar, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Eleonora's Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Sierra Nevada National Park (8 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.
