The plumbeous forest-falcon is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae only found in the Chocó region in Colombia and Ecuador. This rare bird has not been often spotted, which makes its study complicated. For a long time, it was considered to be part of the lined forest-falcons but it now known to be a species of its own. It is currently considered a vulnerable species because of the precarity of its habitat that is threatened by deforestation.
Region
Chocó–Darién (western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador)
Typical Environment
Occurs in humid lowland and foothill evergreen forests of the Chocó, favoring extensive tracts of mature forest but also using tall secondary growth where structure remains intact. It keeps to the interior and edges of dense rainforest, often near streams and gullies that provide covered travel routes. The species typically hunts within the understory to subcanopy and avoids open habitats. Forest fragmentation and conversion to agriculture sharply limit its distribution and local abundance.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 1500 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
The plumbeous forest-falcon is a little-known raptor restricted to the Chocó biogeographic region of western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador. Long confused with the lined forest-falcon, it is now recognized as a distinct species. It is notoriously elusive and most often detected by its clear, whistled calls at dawn and dusk. Ongoing deforestation in the Chocó lowlands is the primary threat to its survival.
Temperament
solitary and secretive
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats with swift dashes through dense cover; alternates with short glides
Social Behavior
Typically encountered singly or as territorial pairs. Nests in large tree cavities or old woodpecker holes, with both adults sharing incubation and chick provisioning. Strongly territorial during the breeding season and largely silent outside peak calling periods.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
Gives a series of clear, whistled notes that may accelerate or descend in pitch, often rendered as a repeated keee-wee or pee-pee-pee phrase. Most vocal at pre-dawn and dusk, with calls carrying far through dense forest.
Plumage
Uniform slaty-plumbeous gray above with slightly paler gray underparts; tail dark with narrow pale bands and a thin terminal band. Throat and lower face are paler, giving a subtle contrast with the darker head and upper breast. Flight feathers and tail show faint banding; overall appearance is matte and soot-colored.
Diet
An opportunistic predator of small vertebrates and large invertebrates. Takes small birds, lizards, frogs, and small mammals such as rodents and bats. Also captures large insects and will raid nests for eggs or nestlings when available. Typically hunts by waiting quietly on a shaded perch before launching a rapid ambush.
Preferred Environment
Forages within shaded understory and subcanopy, along forest trails, ravines, and stream corridors that provide cover. Avoids open areas, relying on dense vegetation to conceal approach to prey. Most successful in extensive, undisturbed forest.
