隼形目 Falconiformes

隼形目 Falconiformes，來自拉丁文的 falco (隼) 和拉丁文的 -fōrmis (形狀)，說明這些動物都是有隼的形狀及跟隼有關係。

Falconiformes, from Latin falco (“falcon”) and Latin -fōrmis (“-shaped”), in reference to the fact that these animals are all falcon-shaped and falcon-related.

種的俗名 Common names of members

隼 (獵鷹)、卡拉卡拉鷹 (巨隼/屍鷹)、小隼、紅隼。

Falcons, caracaras, falconets and kestrels.

分佈 Distribution

世界各地，除了中部非洲的最茂密森林、一些偏遠的大洋島嶼及北極和南極洲之外。

Worldwide, absent only from the densest forest of central Africa, some remote oceanic islands, the high Arctic and Antarctica.

體型 Size

牠們屬於小到中型的，範圍從35克到1.735公斤重。

They are small to medium-sized animals, ranging from 35 g in weight to 1,735 g.

形態 Morphology

爪子鋒利地捲曲，喙牢牢地鉤狀。羽毛通常由棕色、白色、栗色、黑色和灰色組成，沒有任何圖案。

Their talons are sharply curled and their bills are firmly hooked. Typically, their feathers consist of brown, white, chestnut, black, and grey colors, frequently lacking any pattern.

生態及棲息地 Ecology & Habitat

很多物種能夠適應各種有食物和築巢地的地方。棲息地多樣，例如沙漠、森林、林地、苔原等等。

Many species are adaptive to various places where food and nesting sites are available. Habitat varies from desert, forest, woodland, tundra, etc.

食性 Diet

作為晝夜食肉動物，牠們吃腐肉、昆蟲、小型哺乳動物，例如蝙蝠和鳥類。

As diurnal carnivores, they consume carrion, insects, small mammals like bats, and birds.

繁殖 Reproduction

有些利用空心樹、懸崖洞等為了築巢，有些則用樹枝、草、羊毛建築很雜亂的巢穴。牠們每年繁殖一次，大多數是一夫一妻制並有繁殖地。雌性負責孵卵，雄性負責捕食。

Some use a hollow tree, cliff cavity, etc. for nesting, while others use sticks, grass, wool to build an untidy nest. They breed once a year. Most are monogamous and have breeding territory. Females are responsible for incubating the eggs while males are responsible for hunting food.