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The Shaheen falcon (''Falco peregrinus peregrinator''), also known as the Indian peregrine or black Shaheen,Various meanings of Shahin

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is a non-migratory
subspecies In Taxonomy (biology), biological classification, subspecies (: subspecies) is a rank below species, used for populations that live in different areas and vary in size, shape, or other physical characteristics (Morphology (biology), morpholog ...
of the peregrine falcon found in South Asia in
Gilgit-Baltistan Gilgit-Baltistan (; ), formerly known as the Northern Areas, is a region administered by Pakistan as an administrative units of Pakistan, administrative territory and consists of the northern portion of the larger Kashmir region, which has b ...
in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
, most states of
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
, extending to south-eastern
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. It has also been described as a migratory subspecies. Describes subspecies ''peregrinator'' "from Pakistan and Sri Lanka", says "current range...is defined as extending eastward into northern Myanmar and central and south-eastern China", and possibly as vagrants in Malaysia, but that their taxonomic status in some regions is uncertain. The word ''shaheen'' in these names may also be spelled as ''shahin''. This species was termed as the black shaheen by falconers to separate it from the ''true'' shaheen of Persian literature.


Etymology

Shaheen and other variations come from Middle Persian šāhēn (literally "majestic, kingly") and the given name Šāhēn. Compare Middle Armenian շահէն (šahēn) and Old Armenian Շահէն (Šahēn). It has two meanings in Persian/Farsi: falcon, especially the Barbary falcon; the second meaning being a pointer of a scale. Scholars of Persian and the Russian ornithologist
Georgi Petrovich Dementiev Georgi Petrovich Dementiev (; 5 July, 1898 – 14 April, 1969) was a Russian and Soviet Ornithology, ornithologist and professor at the University of Moscow. His studies based on museum collections and collaboration with others, notably Nikolai Ale ...
have noted that the name shaheen in Persian literature actually referred to '' Falco peregrinus babylonicus''.


Taxonomy

The taxon was formally described by
Carl Jakob Sundevall Carl Jakob Sundevall (22 October 1801 in Högestad – 2 February 1875) was a Sweden, Swedish zoologist. Sundevall studied at Lund University, where he received a Ph.D. in 1823. After traveling to East Asia, he studied medicine, graduating as a ...
in 1837 as a separate species ''Falco peregrinator'', based on a juvenile specimen caught on a ship between Sri Lanka and the Nicobar Islands. Its taxonomic status as a subspecies of ''Falco peregrinus'' has been controversial for several years. Amidst conflicting views by ornithologists in the mid-19th century, the shaheen falcon was described as three new species: ''Falco shaheen'' from south India was described by Jerdon in 1839, ''Falco micrurus'' from Nepal and Burma was described by Hodgson in 1844, and ''Falco atriceps'' from Northern India was described by Hume in 1869. These three species were generally accepted as distinct until around the turn of the century, when all three were lumped together with Sundevall's ''Falco peregrinator'' as ''Falco peregrinus peregrinator''. The subspecies name ''peregrinator'', Latin for a wanderer or habitual traveler, was selected by Sundevall for its similarity to the species name ''peregrinus'' of the peregrine falcon, because Sundevall recognised the close similarity of his new bird to that. The common English name ''shahin'' should not be confused with the same word in the
Indo-European language The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the northern Indian subcontinent, most of Europe, and the Iranian plateau with additional native branches found in regions such as Sri Lanka, the Maldives, parts of Central Asia ( ...
, Persian, the Turkic language Turkish, and the Afroasiatic language
Arabic Arabic (, , or , ) is a Central Semitic languages, Central Semitic language of the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family spoken primarily in the Arab world. The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) assigns lang ...
, where it may refer to falcons or a species of falcon. In the Indo-European language
Hindi Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
, ''shahin'' or ''shahin kohi'' (koh refers to a hill) refer to females of ''F. p. peregrinator'', while males of the subspecies are referred to as ''kohila''.


Description

The shaheen is a small and powerful-looking falcon with blackish upperparts, rufous underparts with fine, dark streaks, and white on the throat. The complete black face mask is sharply demarcated from the white throat. It has distinctive rufous underwing-coverts. It differs in all these features from the paler ''F. p. calidus'', which is a winter visitor to India, Sri Lanka, and elsewhere in southern Asia. Males and females have similar markings and plumage; apart from size there is no
sexual dimorphism Sexual dimorphism is the condition where sexes of the same species exhibit different Morphology (biology), morphological characteristics, including characteristics not directly involved in reproduction. The condition occurs in most dioecy, di ...
. The birds range in length from 38 to 44 cm. The male is about the size of a house crow (''Corvus splendens''); the female is larger.


Distribution and habitat

The shaheen is found in
South Asia South Asia is the southern Subregion#Asia, subregion of Asia that is defined in both geographical and Ethnicity, ethnic-Culture, cultural terms. South Asia, with a population of 2.04 billion, contains a quarter (25%) of the world's populatio ...
from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
in the east and to Sri Lanka, central and south-eastern
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, and northern
Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
. In India, it has been recorded in all states mainly from rocky and hilly regions. The shaheen has also been reported from the
Andaman and Nicobar Islands The Andaman and Nicobar Islands is a union territory of India comprising 572 islands, of which only 38 are inhabited. The islands are grouped into two main clusters: the northern Andaman Islands and the southern Nicobar Islands, separated by a ...
in the
Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...
.


Sri Lanka

The shaheen is the local resident species of the peregrine in
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
where it is uncommon but found throughout the island in the lowlands, and at elevations of up to 1200 m in the hill country, frequenting mountain cliffs and rock outcrops. The sheer cliff faces provide it with nest sites and serve as vantage points from which it can launch aerial strikes against fast-flying birds such as swifts. Sigiriya is a well known site for it.


Ecology and behaviour

The shaheen is usually seen as a solitary bird, or in pairs on cliffs and rock pinnacles. Peregrines typically mate for life. Because of the size difference between a male and a female, a mated pair generally hunt different prey species. It is adapted to taking prey in the air and can achieve a speed of 240 kmh in level flight; when diving after prey it can exceed speeds of 320  kmh (200 mph).


Feeding

Shaheens mostly hunt small birds, though medium-sized birds such as pigeons and parrots are also taken. Strong and fast, they dive from great heights to strike prey with their talons. If the impact does not kill the prey, the falcon bites the neck of its victim to ensure a kill.


Breeding

The reproductive season is from December to April. The birds occupy nests on high cliff ledges or in cavities and tunnels. They lay clutches of 3-4 eggs. The chicks fledge within 48 days with an average nesting success of 1.32 chicks per nest. In India the shaheen has been recorded as nesting on man-made structures such as buildings and mobile phone transmission towers.


Status

The conservation status of the shaheen in Sri Lanka is vulnerable. A preliminary population estimate of 40 breeding pairs there was made in 1996, based on a brief survey. The estimate was later corrected to 100 breeding pairs.


In culture

In
Pakistani Pakistanis (, ) are the citizens and nationals of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the second-largest Muslim population as of 2023. As much as ...
literature, the shaheen has a special association with the poetry of the country's national poet, Allama Iqbal. It also appears on the official seal of the Pakistan Air Force logo, and is used as a nickname for the Pakistani cricket team and for its player Shaheen Shah Afridi. A misprinted 1992 Indian stamp in a "birds of prey" series showed a picture of an osprey, with the incorrect denomination and the name ''Shahin Kohila'', the Hindi name for female shaheen falcons; one of these stamps sold for £11,500 in a 2011 London auction.


References


Further reading

* Döttlinger, Hermann. (2002). The Black Shaheen Falcon (''Falco Peregrinus Peregrinator'' Sundevall 1837), its Morphology, Geographic Variation and the History and Ecology of the Sri Lanka (Ceylon) Population. {{Taxonbar, from=Q3309750 shaheen falcon Birds of Pakistan Birds of South Asia National symbols of Bangladesh National symbols of India National symbols of Myanmar National symbols of Pakistan National symbols of Sri Lanka shaheen falcon Subspecies