Hobby

Falco subbuteo

With lightning-fast flight and a taste for dragonflies, this small falcon zips through summer skies across Europe, Asia, and Africa.

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Visual Identification

Appearance

The Hobby is a small, sleek falcon with long, pointed wings and a relatively short tail. Its upperparts are slate-grey, contrasting with a white throat and dark 'moustache' streaks. The underparts are white with bold black streaks. Eyes are brown with a yellow eye ring and white eyebrow, and legs are yellow.

Both sexes look similar, with females being slightly larger. Juveniles show a buffy wash on the underparts and less distinct streaking. In flight, the Hobby's silhouette resembles a large swift, with its streamlined body and sickle-shaped wings.

A useful identification feature is the reddish brown-coloured thighs and undertail coverts (the feathers that overlap the belly and tail), easily visible in flight or when the bird is perching on a branch or pole.

Size

Length

28cm to 35cm

Wingspan

70cm to 84cm

Weight

130g to 340g

Colours

Males and females have similar plumage

Primary Colour

Blue Grey

Secondary Colour

White Rufous

Beak Colour

Black

Leg Colour

Yellow

Habitat and Distribution

Habitats

Woodland

The Hobby can be found in Woodland habitats.

Garden

The Hobby is not typically found in Garden habitats.

Wetland

The Hobby is not typically found in Wetland habitats.

Coastal

The Hobby is not typically found in Coastal habitats.

Urban

The Hobby can be found in Urban habitats.

Farmland

The Hobby can be found in Farmland habitats.

Grassland

The Hobby is not typically found in Grassland habitats.

Desert

The Hobby is not typically found in Desert habitats.

Tundra

The Hobby is not typically found in Tundra habitats.

Rainforest

The Hobby is not typically found in Rainforest habitats.

Mountain

The Hobby is not typically found in Mountain habitats.

Savanna

The Hobby is not typically found in Savanna habitats.

Distribution

Hobbies inhabit open woodlands, forest edges, and farmland with scattered trees across Europe and Asia. They prefer areas near water bodies, which attract their insect prey. During summer, they breed across much of Europe, including the UK.

In winter, Hobbies migrate to sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia. They are absent from most of their European range from September to April, returning to breed in late spring.

In the UK, the hobby can be found across England, most of Wales and more recently in small numbers in southern Scotland, generally appearing between April and October.

Elevation Range

Up to 2,000 meters

Climate zones

Temperate, Subtropical

Distribution Map

This map gives you a rough idea of where you might spot a Hobby. The coloured areas show countries where these birds have been seen.

A few things to keep in mind:

Birds might not be everywhere in the coloured areas, for example, they may be present around the coast of that country
Where birds live can change with seasons and available food
This map is quite simple - it doesn't show exact locations

We're working on making our maps even better! Soon, we hope to show you:

More detailed maps for bigger countries, including state and region
How birds move around during different seasons