Nesting of the Aplomado Falcon (Falco f. femoralis) in San Luis province

Abstract

In this paper we describe the activity of a nesting pair of Aplomado Falcons (Falco f. femoralis) during the first days of the nestling period. The nest was found in a Chañar tree (Geoffroea decorticans) at a heíght of 4.5 m in San Luis province. The female remained at the nest 94.14% of the observation time (brooding: 86.90%) and fed the nestlings with a rate of 0.47 items/h. Feeding periods lasted on average 560 sec (Ra: 360-780 sec; n:9). The male was seen on the nest 1.28% of the observation time and brought prey with a frequency of 0.41 items/h. Information of nest and nestling characteristics, territory, defense, caching behavior and vocalizations is also given. Finally we provide a compilation about nesting of the Aplomado Falcon in Argentina.