Carnivorous Parrots

I read about a new genetic study done of common bird types released recently. A very interesting finding is that falcons are not really related to eagles and hawks at all but more closely related to parrots, than any other type of bird.

When I think about this, it makes a great deal of sense. There are a lot of peregrine falcons around where I live. They don't act that much like hawks or eagles. They thrive in densely populated human areas more easily. They hunt from an elevated perch rather than soaring around in the thermals, up high in the sky. They are more social and spend a lot of time cavorting with each other and seem to have a very strong pair bond. They make a lot of noise and seem to be calling out to each other. A lot of their activity seems to be just playing. I have heard that they are much more easily trained to hunt and much easier to control once trained than other raptors. Their wing spans are not so disproportionately wide as hawks, eagles and vultures and their tails are longer. Their beaks and talons are not so long. I'm not that much of a bird watcher but the peregrines are fun to have around. They also keep the crows from nesting in the eucalyptus. Now that I think of them as carnivorous parrots, they seem more friendly.

I'm pretty sure you couldn't teach one to talk, though.