Bird Album
Eurasian Hobby
Falco subbuteo Linnaeus, 1758
29–36 cmLength74 cmWingspan208 gWeight
It is a small, slender falcon with dense black streaks on the breast and belly and, in adults, rufous leg feathers and undertail.
Busiest months: May and September · Most records: United Kingdom, China, Spain
How to identify
Field marks
- Upperparts gray; crown dark; two short moustachial stripes
- Creamy-white collar patch on the nape
- Throat white and unmarked; breast and belly densely streaked black
- Adult has rufous leg feathers and undertail, like red trousers
Male, female and young
The female is slightly larger than the male but otherwise similar; juveniles are distinctly browner, with scaling on the upperparts.
Where and when it's recorded
Eurasian Hobby has been recorded at 2,269 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 116 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Minsmere RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom1,735 records
- Amwell HMWT NRUnited Kingdom1,385 records
- Aras Kuş Halkalama İstasyonuTürkiye1,186 records
More places
- Lakenheath Fen RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom1,083 records
- Otmoor RSPB ReserveUnited Kingdom880 records
- Rutland WaterUnited Kingdom830 records
- LindusSpain829 records
- Rainham Marshes RSPB Reserve, SSSI and LNRUnited Kingdom759 records
- Stodmarsh NNRUnited Kingdom691 records
- Beddington FarmlandsUnited Kingdom673 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
About
The Eurasian hobby (Falco subbuteo), or just hobby, is a small, slim falcon. It belongs to a group of similar falcons often considered a subgenus of Falco.
Excerpt from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · authors · Read more on Wikipedia
Questions
How big is the Eurasian Hobby?
The Eurasian Hobby is about 29–36 cm long, with a wingspan of 74 cm and weighs around 208 g.
Where does the Eurasian Hobby live?
Its breeding range: Palearctic: widespread. It is most often recorded in United Kingdom, China and Spain.
When is the best time to see the Eurasian Hobby?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May and September (Northern Hemisphere).
Is the Eurasian Hobby endangered?
The IUCN Red List classifies the Eurasian Hobby as Least Concern.
What does the Eurasian Hobby eat?
Main food: Insects & other invertebrates.
What family is the Eurasian Hobby in?
It belongs to the family Caracaras, Falcons (Falconidae), order Falconiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- 29–36 cm
- Wingspan
- 74 cm
- Weight
- 208 g
- Habitat
- Woodland
- Diet
- Insects & other invertebrates
- Lifestyle
- Feeds in the air
- Migration
- Migratory
- Conservation
- Least Concern
More measurements
- Wing
- 261 mm
- Tail
- 129 mm
- Bill
- 18 mm
- Tarsus
- 32 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
Palearctic: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Subspecies · 2
- Falco subbuteo subbuteo Europe to Japan to n India and c China | non-breeding: Africa, s Asia
- Falco subbuteo streichi Myanmar to s China and n Indochina
Classification
- Order
- Falconiformes
- Family
- Caracaras, Falcons Falconidae
- Genus
- Falco
Other birds in the genus Falco
Lesser KestrelFalco naumanni
Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
Rock KestrelFalco rupicolus
Malagasy KestrelFalco newtoni
Mauritius KestrelFalco punctatus
Seychelles KestrelFalco araeus
Spotted KestrelFalco moluccensis
Nankeen KestrelFalco cenchroides
American KestrelFalco sparverius
Greater KestrelFalco rupicoloides
Fox KestrelFalco alopex
Grey KestrelFalco ardosiaceus
Download illustration
Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Shantanu Kuveskar. ↗
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