Head to head
Cinereous Harrier vs Aplomado Falcon
Cinereous Harrier
VS Aplomado Falcon
Both are raptors of open South American habitat, but their hunting techniques could hardly be more different.
| Cinereous Harrier | Aplomado Falcon | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Circus cinereus | Falco femoralis |
| Conservation status | Least Concern | Least Concern |
| Hunting style | Low, slow quartering flight | Fast, agile pursuit flight |
| Cooperative behaviour | Not documented | Sometimes hunts cooperatively in pairs |
| Range | Peru and Chile to Tierra del Fuego | Southern United States to Patagonia |
| Sexual dimorphism | Pale grey males, streaked brown females | Similar bold plumage in both sexes |
| Habitat | Wetlands, grassland | Grassland, savanna |
| Diet | Small mammals, birds, insects | Small birds, large insects, small reptiles |
Cinereous Harrier vs Aplomado Falcon: common questions
Which raptor hunts cooperatively?
The aplomado falcon sometimes does, working in coordinated pairs to flush and chase prey, a behaviour not documented in the more solitary cinereous harrier.
How do these two raptors hunt differently?
The cinereous harrier flies low and slow, quartering back and forth over marshes and grassland, while the aplomado falcon relies on fast, agile pursuit flight to run down prey in the open.
Which raptor has the wider range?
The aplomado falcon does, breeding from the southern United States all the way to Patagonia, a far greater latitudinal span than the cinereous harrier's range from Peru and Chile to Tierra del Fuego.