Amur Falcon

Amur Falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small slim falcon; males are dark slate-grey with reddish thighs, while females have barred underparts and a patterned face. Body shape, bill structure, plumage pattern and voice provide the strongest field characters. Age, sex and season may alter its appearance, so identification should combine several features and careful direct field comparisons with similar species in the same habitat (Wikipedia, general species account).

It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and northern China and migrates in large flocks through Asia and across the Arabian Sea to southern and eastern Africa, feeding heavily on insects. Its movements and social behaviour vary through the year, with breeding birds generally more dispersed and non-breeding birds gathering where food is concentrated. Japanese records place it within the country's documented avifauna as a resident, migrant or visitor (Wikipedia, general species account; Wildlife of Japan occurrence records).