With a dark belly bar, a banded tail, and crisp facial markings, the Aplomado Falcon is certainly a boldly patterned bird. What most people don't realize is that it's a bold hunter, too.
Aplomado Falcons, once native to a fair portion of the Southwest, now exist primarily in South America. Their usual hunting method is to dash from their perches in pursuit of birds and large insects. But in South America, where grass fires are more common than in the United States, Aplomado Falcons often fly in groups within the smoke of these fires, catching insects, birds, and small mammals that are trying to escape the heat and flames.
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