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Key information: The Eleonora’s Falcon is an elegant falcon with long and pointed wings, a long tail and a slim body. There are two types of Eleonora’s Falcon: a dark brown morph and a lighter-coloured morph. Both morphs have distinctive dark brown wings. Unlike other birds, it breeds later in the summer, to take advantage of the passage of small migratory birds, which it catches in air to feed its chicks. When it is not feeding its chicks, it hunts big flying insects.
Length: 36 – 42 cm | Wingspan: 87 – 104 cm
Habitat: Coastal areas, mountains and forests, farmland, scrub and bushes
When they can be seen: Autumn, spring, summer
What they eat: Invertebrates, small birds
In Cyprus: Can be seen at areas with coastal cliffs where it nests, such as Akrotiri, Episkopi Cliffs, Paramali, Avdimou Bay and Cape Aspro
Status: Migrant breeder, passage migrant
Illustration by Paschalis Dougalis