Microhierax melanoleucos

The white-legged falcon is a very small bird of prey. It is only slightly larger than the red-legged falcon. It has no obvious wing fingers. The males and females are the same type, and the difference between adults and juveniles is not obvious. The head, back, and wings are blue-black, with a thin white line on the forehead, merging with the white eyebrow, and then extending downward to merge with the white chest and abdomen, showing a large black spot on the eyes similar to that of a panda. The cheeks, chin, throat, entire lower body, and underwing coverts are white, and the inner side of the secondary flight feathers has small white spots. The tail feathers are black, and only the inner edge of the outer tail feathers has white horizontal spots.

In my country, it was once widely distributed from southwest to south and east China. Currently, it is only found in a few places in Jiangxi and Fujian and a few areas on the southern border of Yunnan and Guangxi. Abroad, it is distributed in northeastern India, northern Myanmar, and northeastern Indochina.

Most of them live alone or in small groups in open forests at low and medium altitudes below 1,500 meters, and are also found in hills and plain woodlands near mountains.

The white-legged falcon is a resident bird, usually nesting in the abandoned holes of woodpeckers. It perches on the branches of tall trees to patrol prey. When waiting for prey, it often quietly perches on the tip of a protruding branch to wait for ground targets such as amphibians, reptiles, and insects that appear, or preys on flying targets such as dragonflies and butterflies and small birds in fast flight. If it is an insect, it will be caught immediately after it is found. If it is a larger food such as a small bird or frog, it will be brought to the habitat and eaten.

The breeding season is from April to June, and it usually nests in the abandoned holes of woodpeckers. It is 6-20 meters above the ground. The bottom of the nest is covered with insect fragments. Each nest lays 3-4 eggs. The size of the eggs is 24-29 mm × 20-23 mm and 30 mm × 23.5 mm.

On September 21, 2016, "bird lovers" from all over my country gathered in Wuyuan to photograph rare birds. Facing the camera, the white-legged falcon, a national second-level protected animal, was not shy at all, and its cute expression was lovable. It is said to be cute because it looks a bit like a giant panda, so people call it a "panda bird" and a flying "panda". The number of white-legged falcons is extremely small, and it is difficult to find them abroad. In China, only Wuyuan has retained this endangered bird, which has been included in the United Nations "List of Endangered Wildlife".