Eurasian Hobby

Falco subbuteo (Linnaeus, 1758)

		adult juvenile
2020-09-04 Gurulba village, Ivolginsky raion, Buriatia 2020-08-21 Irkutsk Lugovoe	© Grigory Khasanov © Mihail Ivanov

Distribution

In Siberia from southern borders to forest-tundra, in various landscapes with trees.

Biology

The Hobby is common, in places abundant breeding migrant. Inhabits the riparian woods and groves in steppes, the shelterbelts, the open landscapes with the singles trees; the mountain deciduous and coniferous forests surrounded the open areas; in altitudes up to 2000 m and above. In spring appears from mid-April, but most usually in early May. Migrates singly or in pairs, to late May. Nests in separate pairs at least 300-500 m (usually 1-2 km) apart. To breeding Hobbies use the old nest of Crow or Magpie without repairing, sometimes Hobbies thrust out the owners of inhabited nest. In unique occasion one female laid the eggs on the leaves on ground without any lining. Laying of 2-6 (usually 3-4) eggs is in mid-June – July. Both parents (male has brood patches) incubate for about 28 days from the laying of first egg, but mostly female. Chicks are born in July – early August, both parents feed nestlings which fledge in August – early September. The autumn migration begins in late August, the latest birds leave northern Kazakhstan in the middle of September. On Markakol lake singly Hobby was observed on October 26. In southern areas the active traffic of migration is in September. Hobbies migrate singly or in loose groups of 3-5 birds.

References

В.К.Рябицев. "Птицы Сибири". Москва-Екатеринбург, Изд-во "Кабинетный ученый", 2014.