The Aplomado Falcon is the origin of the name and logo for our company. Aplomado is a descriptive word in Spanish for the color “lead-gray” and is derived from the Latin root plumbeus for lead. The Aplomado Falcon is named for the “lead-gray” appearance of the feathers on its back and wings. The Aplomado Falcon averages 30 to 40 inches in wingspan and weighs between ½ to 1 pound. Aplomados have been observed to almost always occur in  pairs, and mated individuals remain together year-round, hunting, soaring, and feeding together in the same territory. They take birds, insects, small rodents, lizards, and frogs by direct pursuit in flight and even run prey down  afoot in dense ground cover. As pairs they may hunt cooperatively, with greater success at capturing birds than when hunting alone. Aplomados are typically associated with grassland, savanna, and desert scrub habitats in the Southwestern United States, including the coastal prairies of Texas and the valleys of southwestern New Mexico and Arizona. Populations of the Aplomado Falcon began to decline in the late 1800's with the last recorded observation in Arizona in the 1960's. In 1986 Aplomados were federally listed as endangered. 

Click here for further online resources about Aplomado Falcons.

References

The Raptors of Arizona. Richard Glinski Editor. The University of Arizona Press and The Arizona Game and Fish Department. 1998.

Hawks, Eagles, & Falcons of North America. Paul A. Johnsgard. Smithsonian Institution Press. 1990.

 

 

 

More wildlife images by photographer Tom Whetten may be found here.