Falco rufigularis
bat falcon

The bat falcon, Falco rufigularis, is found in Mexico, Central and South America. It ranges from eastern Colombia east to the Guianas and Trinidad, and south to southern Brazil and northern Argentina (Weidensaul 1996; Del Hoyo et al. 1994).

Bat falcons inhabit the tropical rain forests. Though they occur in unbroken forests, bat falcons seem to be able to adjust to human disturbance and are sometimes found to be more common in broken forest, which includes disturbed area, forest edge, road cuts, riverbanks, or cleared agricultural land with scattered trees.

Bat falcon adult males measure 24-29 cm (8-10 in.) in length with a wingspan of 56-58 cm (18-19 in.) females also range from 24-29 cm (8-10 in.) in length but have a larger wingspan, which ranges between 65 and 67 cm (21-22 in.) in length. The head and upper parts of their body are black, with grayish edging to contour the feathers from their upper back to tail coverts. Their throat and upper chest is white and tan extending to their neck. They have a long black tail with many fine white or gray stripes, and buff tip. The bat falcon has deep brown irises that may help camouflage while hunting at night. They also have small hooked beaks that allow the bat falcon to easily tear its meat. (Britannica 1999-00; Del Hoyo et al. 1994).

Bat falcons are considered a solitary raptor. An important part of bat falcon's time is spent hunting. This type of behavior is a sign of their predator nature. Bat falcons primarily communicate through visual and vocal ways, often calling back and forth to their mate during breeding season. Courtship for the bat falcon begins in February or March, which is the middle of the dry season in Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. In Trinidad, nesting begins in February, and in Colombia, breeding begins in February or March. In Venezuela, the bat falcon lays its eggs in March and in Guyana, in April. In Brazil, it will lay its eggs in August, the middle of dry season. Both parent will take an active role in protecting the nest, which may include chasing off other raptors. The male provides nearly all of the food during the nestling period. (Del Hoyo, Elliott, Sargatal 1994; Weidensaul 1996).

The bat falcon appears to have a preference for consuming bats, although they do not make up the majority of its diet. Their diet consists mainly of small birds and large insects, which include dragonflies (Odonata), moths (Lepidoptera), large grasshoppers (Orthopera), Homoptera, and Hymenoptera. The diet of the bat falcon varies by seasons and is divided into summer and winter diets. This shift in diet is affected by the change in the most abundant and nutritious prey obtainable. The summer diet consists of mostly birds and during winter, mostly insects. The bat falcon hunts during periods of dusk to dawn and is considered nocturnal (Weidensaul 1996; Del Hoyo et al. 1994).

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This species is not globally threatened. Falco rufigularis tolerates and can even benefit from patchy, small scale deforestation. The bat falcon has stopped breeding in areas of South America where the forest has significantly changed to agriculture. This type of behavior is likely to recur in other places throughout the range (del Hoyo et al. 1994).