Eleonora's falcon

Eleonora's falcon
Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) in flight 3.jpg
Over the cliffs near Episkopi in Cyprus
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Genus: Falco
Species:
F. eleonorae
Binomial name
Falco eleonorae
Géné, 1839
Migration routes of Eleonora's falcon

Eleonora's falcon (Falco eleonorae) is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis. The sooty falcon is sometimes considered its closest relative, but while they certainly belong to the same lineage, they do not seem to be close sister species.[2][3] The English name and the species name eleonorae commemorate Eleanor of Arborea, Queen or Lady-Judge (Juighissa) and national heroine of Sardinia, who in 1392, under the jurisdiction conferred by the Carta de Logu, became the first ruler in history to grant protection to hawk and falcon nests against illegal hunters.[4][5][6] The genus name falco is from Late Latin falx, falcis, a sickle, referring to the claws of the bird.[7]

  1. ^ BirdLife International (2021). "Falco eleonorae". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2021: e.T22696442A205714571. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2021-3.RLTS.T22696442A205714571.en. Retrieved 13 November 2021.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference Helbig1994 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Wink1998 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Charta de Logu Elianora de Arbarèe Capitulos 81-100, Capitulu 87 - De astores
  5. ^ Natura Mediterraneo, Il falco della regina - Falco eleonorae
  6. ^ Jobling, James A (2010). The Helm Dictionary of Scientific Bird Names. London: Christopher Helm. pp. 144, 266. ISBN 978-1-4081-2501-4.
  7. ^ Shorter Oxford English dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2007. p. 3804. ISBN 978-0199206872.