Eleonora's Falcon

Eleonora's Falcon is a medium-sized falcon, a little stockier than the Hobby. It has long, narrow wings and a long tail, giving it a particular silhouette that differentiates it from the Hobby. Both sexes are similar, with the female simply larger than the male.
There are two different morphs, light and dark.
The light morph (most common) has all the upper parts a rather dark slate grey, with blackish remiges. The background colour of the underside of the body ranges from white (at the throat) to quite intense rufous on the belly, under-tail coverts and flanks, in a regular gradient. The chest and belly are streaked longwise with blackish. The grey tail is noticeably barred. Compared with the Hobby, the rufous colour is more extensive and less vivid, and the chest less white. The best identification criterion remains the contrast under the wings between the dark under-wing coverts and the non-barred grey remiges. The white cheek patch is round in shape (heart-shaped in the Hobby). The wax of the beak and eye-ring are steel blue in adult female and immature. The iris is dark brown.
The dark morph (about 1 in 5 individuals) is entirely dark brown, appearing black from a distance. The underside of the wing has the same contrast as in the light morph.
The juvenile has no rufous underside and can be confusing. Care must be taken to the silhouette and proportions. The beak, wax and eye-ring are steel blue. The underwing contrast, less clear-cut, is still perceptible, allowing it to be differentiated from a young Hobby, especially as the remiges are barred in the same way. Immature individuals are intermediate.