Wildlifeof Vietnam
Eurasian Hobby
Birds of Prey
Photo: Imran Shah from Islamabad, Pakistan · CC BY-SA 2.0
Falco subbuteo
Rare visitor: recorded only occasionally in this country
Basic stats
Diet
Large insects such as dragonflies, eaten in flight
Habitat
Nests in old crow and rook nests
Range
Breeds across the Palearctic
Clutch size
2–3 eggs, June to August
Incubation period
About 28 days
Size
29–36cm
Wingspan
74–84cm
Weight
175–285g
The Eurasian hobby is a small, slim falcon, 29 to 36cm long with a wingspan of 74 to 84cm and a weight of 175 to 285g. Adults are slate-grey above with a dark crown and two short black moustache stripes, a white unstreaked throat, rufous thighs and undertail coverts, and whitish underparts with black streaks. Juveniles are much browner (Wikipedia, general species account).
It is elegant and sickle-like in flight with long pointed wings, often resembling a swift when gliding. It is fast and powerful and takes large insects such as dragonflies, transferring them from talons to beak and eating them while soaring. It nests in old nests of crows and rooks, laying two or three eggs, with incubation of about 28 days. The sources read give nothing specific to Bhutan.
Quick answers
- What does the Eurasian Hobby eat?
- Large insects such as dragonflies, eaten in flight
- What habitat does the Eurasian Hobby live in?
- Nests in old crow and rook nests
- Where is the Eurasian Hobby found?
- Breeds across the Palearctic
- How many eggs does the Eurasian Hobby lay?
- 2–3 eggs, June to August
- How long are the eggs of the Eurasian Hobby incubated?
- About 28 days
- How big is the Eurasian Hobby?
- 29–36cm
- What is the wingspan of the Eurasian Hobby?
- 74–84cm
- How much does the Eurasian Hobby weigh?
- 175–285g