Prairie Falcon takes out a drake mallard

Prairie falcons are famous for their hard-hitting hunting tactics. Here a wild juvenile female finishes off a drake mallard with a high-speed headshot. Analysis of the video tells us she’s moving close to 90km/h when she hits the mallard. Prairie falcons frequently employ this hunting method when dealing with field-feeding waterfowl. The duck is heavier and stronger, therefore the ground struggle is minimized when the smaller falcon delivers a knockout punch. It truly demonstrates the falcon’s speed and agility but I could have really benefited from a higher frame rate camera! This footage was recorded near Calgary, Alberta where large flocks of overwintering mallards feed in nearby fields and consequently attract a variety of raptors to the “duck buffet“.