Animalia Life

Microhierax latifrons
SUBFAMILY
Falconinae
TAXONOMY
Microhierax latifrons Sharpe, 1879, Lawas River and Lumbidan, Borneo. Monotypic.
OTHER COMMON NAMES
French: Carnifex а ailes tachetйes; German: Tropfenfalke; Spanish: Halconcito Argentino.
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
5.9–6.7 in (15–17 cm); 1.2–2.3 oz (35–65 g). Female larger than male. The second smallest falconid. Small, swift, and powerful for its size. Upperparts mainly black; underparts white with light tan wash to belly. Black eye stripe. Forehead, crown, and cheek white in male, chestnut in female. Juvenile similar to adult female.
DISTRIBUTION
Northern Borneo: Sabah and far northeast Sarawak.
HABITAT
Open forest and forest clearings and edges, up to about 3,900 ft (1,200 m).
BEHAVIOR
Sedentary.
FEEDING ECOLOGY AND DIET
Hunts from perch to snatch prey from the air and tree canopies. Mainly large insects such as bees, moths, cicadas, butterflies; sometimes birds and perhaps lizards and bats. May hunt in family parties and feed communally, sharing prey.
REPRODUCTIVE BIOLOGY
Little known. Nests as solitary pairs in sites such as barbet and woodpecker holes in March–April.
CONSERVATION STATUS
Listed as Near Threatened because of its restricted range and uncertain status. Forest clearing is a threat. Nevertheless, the species appears to be fairly common and copes with some disturbance of its habitat.
SIGNIFICANCE TO HUMANS
None known.

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