Gray Falcon

1. Pale grey plumage with black wing-tips above and below.

2. Bright yellow-orange cere, eye-rings, and feet in adults; juveniles have blue-grey facial skin and duller yellow legs.

3. Feathered legs and a stocky build, unlike the longer, bare legs of the Brown Falcon.

Grey Falcons are highly specialized hunters, feeding almost entirely on other birds, especially small, flocking species. They rarely eat mammals or reptiles, and such events are considered opportunistic and uncommon. Their hunting style involves fast, direct flight and high-speed dives to catch prey. Breeding usually takes place in the arid zone, with nests built in old stick nests of other birds, typically high in trees or sometimes on artificial structures. They lay 2–3 eggs, and young may remain with parents for up to a year. The population is very smalllikely fewer than 1, individualsmaking them vulnerable to threats like habitat loss from overgrazing, land clearing, and reduced availability of suitable nest sites.

Grey Falcons are found in Australia’s arid and semi-arid interior, especially in regions with low annual rainfall. They inhabit open woodlands, shrublands, and grasslands, often near watercourses lined with eucalypts or acacias. They are most often seen perched on dead trees, tall structures, or occasionally on artificial sites like telecommunications towers. The best chance to see one is near waterholes or bores in inland Queensland, western New South Wales, the Northern Territory, and parts of Western Australia. They are most active at dawn and dusk.