Laggar Falcon (Falco jugger) in flight at Tal Chapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan
During our recent tour of Tal Chapar Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan, we came across many juvenile Laggar Falcons (Falco jugger). On one fine morning, this juvenile Laggar Falcon (a female) was seen chasing around a (probable) juvenile male (around 60% the size of the female). With short flights or charging on the ground, she would do mock-attacks on the male followed by periods of relative inactivity.
These falcons were once considered India’s most common falcons. It is listed as Near Threatened by IUCN, which describes its status as:
Trends in this species’s population are poorly documented; however, it probably has a moderately small population that is suspected to be undergoing a moderately rapid population reduction, both owing to pesticide use and incidental capture by trappers targeting Saker Falcon Falco cherrug.
Tal Chapar Wildlife Sanctuary in Rajasthan is one of the few places in India where this bird still thrives.