CreatureData

Pygmy falcon

Polihierax semitorquatus (A. Smith, 1836)

LCLeast Concernbirds of prey

The pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) is a species in the family Falconidae, order Falconiformes. Recorded adults weigh 59.6 g to 61.5 g and live up to 20 years. Its IUCN Red List status is Least Concern.

Pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)
Photo: Stephen Temple from Cape Town, South Africa · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the pygmy falcon

Weight
59.6 g – 61.5 gsrc for Weight
Length
Not recorded
Wingspan
34 cm – 40 cmsrc for Wingspan
Lifespan
20 yearssrc for Lifespan
Diet
Carnivoresrc for Diet
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
shrublandsrc for Habitat
Egg incubation
28.5 dayssrc for Egg incubation
Young per litter or clutch
3src for Young per litter or clutch
Age at maturity
12 monthssrc for Age at maturity
Litters or clutches a year
1.75src for Litters or clutches a year
Lifestyle
Perchingsrc for Lifestyle
Migration
Sedentarysrc for Migration
Conservation status
Least Concern (IUCN)src for Conservation status
Countries on record
Not recorded

How big is the pygmy falcon?

PYGMY FALCON · WINGSPAN 40 CMADULT HUMAN · HEIGHT 1.7 M
At 40 cm, the recorded maximum wingspan of the pygmy falcon is about 24% of the height of an adult human (1.7 m, a fixed reference used for scale).

Where does the pygmy falcon live?

Not recorded

What is the pygmy falcon?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The African pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)—or simply pygmy falcon—is a diminutive raptor native to eastern and southern Africa. It is the sole species in its monotypic genus, Polihierax. The pygmy falcon is the smallest bird of prey on the African continent, and among the smallest raptors on earth; only the Asian falconets (of the genus Microhierax) are smaller, weighing roughly 30-40 grams less and measuring about 5 cm shorter from head to tail.

From the Wikipedia article “Pygmy falcon” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pygmy_falcon&oldid=1372069133), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the pygmy falcon endangered?

The pygmy falcon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List: it is not currently at risk of extinction.

  1. LCLeast Concern
  2. NTNear Threatened
  3. VUVulnerable
  4. ENEndangered
  5. CRCritically Endangered
  6. EWExtinct in the Wild
  7. EXExtinct

Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Least Concern species.

How is the pygmy falcon classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumChordata
  3. classAves
  4. orderFalconiformes
  5. familyFalconidae
  6. genusPolihierax
  7. SpeciesPolihierax semitorquatus (A. Smith, 1836)

Synonyms Falco simitorquata, Polihierax semitorquatus major, Polihierax semitorquatus semotorquatus

Other names and names in other languages (49)
  • African pygmy falconEnglish
  • African pygmy-falconEnglish
  • African pygmy-falconEnglish
  • Pigmy falconEnglish
  • PYFAEnglish
  • DwergvalkAfrikaans
  • DwergvalkieAfrikaans
  • صقر قزمArabic
  • صقر قزم أفريقيArabic
  • Afrika kiçik qızılquşuAzerbaijani
  • falconet africàCatalan
  • sokolík africkýCzech
  • sokolík malýCzech
  • corhebog AffricaWelsh
  • Afrikansk PygmæfalkDanish
  • HalsbandzwergfalkeGerman
  • Halsband-ZwergfalkeGerman
  • afrika falketoEsperanto
  • Afrika nanofalkoEsperanto
  • Halconcito africanoSpanish
  • manukpistrikEstonian
  • شاهین کوتولهPersian
  • afrikankääpiöhaukkaFinnish
  • Fauconnet d'AfriqueFrench
  • Fauconnet d’AfriqueFrench
  • בז זעירHebrew
  • בזון גמדיHebrew
  • afrički sokolićCroatian
  • afrikai törpesólyomHungarian
  • Falchetto africanoItalian
  • Falco pigmeo africanoItalian
  • コビトハヤブサJapanese
  • afrikinis mažasis sakalasLithuanian
  • afrikapygmefalkNorwegian Bokmål
  • Afrikaanse DwergvalkDutch
  • afrikapygméfalkNorwegian
  • sokolik czerwonookiPolish
  • falcão-pigmeuPortuguese
  • falcão-pigmeu-africanoPortuguese
  • falcão-pigmeu-de-dorso-cinzentoPortuguese
  • Африканский соколокRussian
  • Африканский карликовый соколRussian
  • sokolík obojkovýSlovak
  • Afrički patuljasti sokoSerbian
  • afrikansk pygméfalkSwedish
  • เหยี่ยวแคระแอฟริกันThai
  • Afrika Cüce DoğanıTurkish
  • сокіл-крихітка африканськийUkrainian
  • 非洲侏隼Chinese

Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistWikidataIUCN Red List

Relatives of the pygmy falcon

Other species in the same genus Polihierax.

ComparePygmy falcon vs White-rumped falconPygmy falcon vs Poliohierax semitorquatus

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

How big is the pygmy falcon?

An adult pygmy falcon weighs 59.6 g – 61.5 g and has a wingspan of 34 cm – 40 cm, according to values recorded on Wikidata.

Is the pygmy falcon endangered?

The pygmy falcon is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, meaning it is not currently at risk of extinction.

How long does the pygmy falcon live?

The pygmy falcon has a recorded lifespan of 20 years.

What kind of animal is the pygmy falcon?

The pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus) belongs to the family Falconidae in the order Falconiformes.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

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APA

CreatureData. (2026). Pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/pygmy-falcon

MLA

“Pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/pygmy-falcon.

BibTeX
@misc{pygmy_falcon_2026,
  title = {Pygmy falcon (Polihierax semitorquatus)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/pygmy-falcon},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}