Micrastur mirandollei
The Slaty-backed Forest Falcon (*Micrastur mirandollei*) is a striking, medium-sized raptor of the Neotropical understory, characterized by its uniformly slaty-gray upperparts and finely barred white underparts. With an average length of 33-40 cm (13-16 in) and a weight ranging from 172-245 g, it sports a distinctive long, rounded tail typically marked with two to three narrow white bands, a black bill with a prominent yellow cere, and bright yellow legs. Distinguishing field marks include th...
This forest falcon primarily inhabits humid, lowland tropical and subtropical evergreen forests, including primary and mature secondary growth, as well as forest edges and gallery forests, generally found from sea level up to 1000 meters in elevation.
The Slaty-backed Forest Falcon's diet consists mainly of small birds, reptiles (lizards and snakes), amphibians (frogs), and large insects, which it captures by ambushing from a perch or pursuing on foot through the undergrowth.
Slaty-backed Forest Falcons are highly secretive and primarily diurnal, though they often exhibit crepuscular activity at dawn and dusk. They are ambush predators, typically perching silently in the dense understory, scanning and listening intently for prey before making swift, short flights or d...
The Slaty-backed Forest Falcon exhibits a disjunct distribution across Central and South America, primarily within humid tropical and subtropical lowland forests. In Central America, its presence is noted on the Caribbean slope and northern Pacific lowlands of Costa Rica and throughout Panama. It...
Least Concern
- The Slaty-backed Forest Falcon is one of the most elusive and challenging raptors to observe in its Neotropical range, often detected only by its distinctive calls. - Unlike most falcons, which hunt in open air, this species specializes in the dense, cluttered understory of tropical forests. - ...