Over five thousand red-footed falcons gathered at a roost in Hortobágy, the largest roost site ever known in the Carpathian Basin, the Hortobágy National Park announced.
The National Park recalled that one of the most spectacular natural phenomena of autumn is the gathering of red-footed falcons (Falco vespertinus) in the lowland habitats of the Carpathian Basin.
From mid-August to early October, the birds gather in flocks and roam the food-rich lowland habitats before embarking on a journey of thousands of kilometers to their wintering grounds in Central Africa.
During the day, flocks of only a few dozen birds can usually be seen feeding across the plains and agricultural areas, where their invertebrate (winged ants, orthoptera, dragonflies) and vertebrate (field voles) prey are found in greater numbers.
At the end of the day, these smaller or larger groups of red-footed falcons gather in a specific place where they spend the night together.
Before finally settling down to rest, the birds circle spectacularly above their chosen roosting place.
These roost sites are usually small forests, groups of trees, or wing forests. The precise identification of roost sites is a priority conservation task, as experts can count the birds relatively accurately there, thus enabling them to track changes in the migratory bird population.
The National Park’s press release highlights that one of the most important nesting and gathering places for red-footed falcons in Hungary is the Hortobágy National Park, which is why preserving the local population of the species and ensuring adequate feeding areas is a priority. There may be as many as 8-10 roost sites throughout the Hortobágy, which experts visit every week to keep accurate records of the number of the birds.
The red-footed falcon is a vulnerable species in Hungary, with a conservation value of 500,000 forints (1,290 euros).
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Via MTI, Featured image: Wikipedia
The post Record Number of Red-Footed Falcons at the Carpathian Basin’s Largest Roost appeared first on Hungary Today.
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