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***TheSparkyDee*** · 07-26-2020, 05:30 PM

Falcons.. What are they?

·   Falcons are roughly divisible into three or four groups. The first contains the kestrels (probably excepting the American kestrel); usually small and stocky falcons of mainly brown upper side color and sometimes sexually dimorphic; three African species that are generally gray in color stand apart from the typical members of this group. Kestrels feed chiefly on terrestrial vertebrates and invertebrates of appropriate size, such as rodents, reptiles, or insects.

·        The second group contains slightly larger (on average) species, the hobbies and relatives. These birds are characterized by considerable amounts of dark slate-gray in their plumage; their malar areas are nearly always black. They feed mainly on smaller birds.

·        Third are the peregrine falcon and its relatives, variably sized powerful birds that also have a black malar area (except some very light color morphs), and often a black cap, as well. Otherwise, they are somewhat intermediate between the other groups, being chiefly medium gray with some lighter or brownish colors on their upper sides. They are, on average, more delicately patterned than the hobbies and, if the hierofalcons are excluded (see below), this group typically contains species with horizontal barring on their undersides. As opposed to the other groups, where tail color varies much in general but little according to evolutionary relatedness. However, the fox and greater kestrels can be told apart at first glance by their tail colors, but not by much else; they might be very close relatives and are probably much closer to each other than the lesser and common kestrels. The tails of the large falcons are quite uniformly dark gray with inconspicuous black banding and small, white tips, though this is probably plesiomorphic. These large Falco species feed on mid-sized birds and terrestrial vertebrates.

·   The falcon spirit animal appears to you when you need higher knowledge or clarity in finding the best solutions to your problems. The falcon symbolism, after all, speaks about victory, success, and rising above challenging situations; and it is similar to the worm animal spirit.

·        At its core, the falcon meaning signifies wisdom, vision, and protection. This beautiful and powerful creature can awaken your visionary power and bring you closer to your life goals, so listen closely to its message of change! The falcon spirit animal appears to you when you need to strategize or calculate your moves to achieve a goal.

·        Channel the falcon symbolism in you and use your one-pointed focus to zero in on your desired results and what you should do to achieve them.

Here is The Detroit Falcons Roster…. As Falcons.

Thor Odinson (Goalie)- Peregrine Falcon
·        The Peregrine Falcone is a raptor, or bird of prey. Peregrine Falcons are highly defensive of their Chicks and nest sites, and even when the Chicks are well fed one parent will continue to circle high above the nesting site, if a predator attempts to encroach on the site the parent on guard duty will perform a stoop toward them, their instinct to protect is so strong that Peregrine Falcons have been observed killing predators as large as Bald Eagles and Golden Eagles to ensure the safety of their nest and Chicks. Thor is a great defender of his “NEST” or Net well because he is a goalie. He will attack the puck like the Peregrine Falcon attacks predators going for their nest.

Valtteri Aalto (Goalie)- Peale's Falcon
·        The Peale's falcon is known to concentrate its hunting efforts on Alcids. In fact the subspecies is well known to nest very near seabird colonies for the convenience of close hunting grounds. However this is not necessary for a successful eyrie. In a study on Amchitka Island from 1968–1973, it was found that an average of 18.6 eyries on the island (over the course of the study) were in no close proximity to seabird colonies as no sizable colonies existed on the island. Instead, these large, robust birds fly out to sea to hunt up to 50 miles from land, rather than inland toward the interior. This is quite an impressive physical feat as they must either eat their prey while flying or carry the prey back to land to perch and then consume it, as peregrines are not known to be able to rest and stay afloat on water as seabirds do. Valtteri Aalto is new in town, he flew to Detroit and is now the second goalie, he will follow Thor Odinson as Peale’s Falcons follow other birds to learn how they fly, and eat. He is going to learn from Thor an already successful goalie or Falcon so Valtteri Aalto will learn what it takes to truly to be a falcon.

Burlok Sulfurgold (Left Wing)- American kestrel
·        The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It has a roughly two-to-one range in size over subspecies and sex, varying in size from about the weight of a blue jay to a mourning dove. It also ranges to South America, and is a well-established species that has evolved seventeen subspecies adapted to different environments and habitats throughout the Americas. Based on appearance and behavior it was for many years considered a member of the primarily European and African kestrel clade within the genus falco, but DNA analysis shows the American kestrel to actually be genetically more closely related to the larger American falcons such as the aplomado, peregrine, and prairie falcons. The American kestrel has three basic vocalizations – the "klee" or "killy", the "whine", and the "chitter". The "klee" is usually delivered as a rapid series – klee, klee, klee, klee when the kestrel is upset or excited. This call is used in a wide variety of situations and is heard from both sexes, but the larger females typically have lower-pitched voices than the males. The "whine" call is primarily associated with feeding, but is also uttered during copulation. The "chitter" is used in activities that involve interaction between male and female birds, including courtship feeding, copulation, and the feeding of nestlings. Nestlings can produce calls similar to those of adults at 16 days old. Well I choose this one because the American kestrel well is mostly common in United States of America. AND Burlok Sulfurgold is from good ole US of A! They are both very fast and strong. Burlok Sulfurgold is going to be one of the top guys on the team to help this Falcon team in succeeding after man of the older falcons left the nest. The American kestrel takes an important role in teaching their young birds how to succeed on their own. Burlok Sulfurgold is going to have to teach the younger players on

Frederick Wanesly (Left Wing)- Lanner Falcon
·        The lanner falcon is a bird of open country and savanna. It usually hunts by horizontal pursuit, rather than the peregrine falcon's stoop from a height, and takes mainly bird prey in flight. It lays three to four eggs on a cliff ledge nest, or occasionally in an old stick nest in a tree. They are bred in captivity for falconry; hybrids with the peregrine are also often seen. Someone claimed that the "lanar" lived in Sherwood Forest and the Forest of Dean in England; such populations would seem to have derived from escaped hunting birds of the nobility. In the wild, lanner falcon numbers are somewhat declining in Europe, though the species remains relatively common in parts of Africa. In the Degua Tembien Mountains of Ethiopia, it was observed to contribute to controlling pest rodents. Jackdaw flocks are targets of coordinated hunting by pairs of lanner falcons, although larger flocks are more able to elude becoming prey. In Africa and Israel, lanner falcons were observed as hunting bats. Frederick Wanesly is big left winger and he is going to be on the second line and he will be a strong winger who can hit and score goals.

Luke McMaster (Center)- Laggar Falcon
·        Laggar falcons used to be the most common falcons in the region, but numbers have declined markedly in recent times and today it is probably nowhere a common species anymore. The main threats are the intensification of pesticide use in the region and use as a decoy to trap large falcons. This species belongs to a close-knit complex of falcons known as hierofalcons. In this group, there is ample evidence for rampant hybridization and incomplete lineage sorting which confounds analyses of DNA sequence data to a massive extent; molecular studies with small sample sizes can simply not be expected to yield reliable conclusions in the entire hierofalcon group. Luke McMaster is one of the oldest players on the team, he is on a line where he will be scoring a lot of goals, he is not gonna be a decoy like these Laggar Falcons are falling for to be captured. Kek.

Taisto Jutila (Center)- Amur Falcon
·        Males are characteristically dark sooty grey above with rufous thighs and vent. In flight, the wing lining is white, contrasting with the dark wing feathers. Adult males of the closely related red-footed falcon have a dark grey wing lining. In Africa, males can be confused with melanistic Gabar goshawks, but the chestnut on the vent is distinctive. Also, there may be some superficial resemblance to the sooty falcon and the grey kestrel, but those two species both have yellow feet. The wings are long as in most falcons (with a span of 63–71 cm) and at rest the wing tip reaches or extends just beyond the tail-tip. The Amur falcon feeds mainly late in the evening or early in the morning capturing a wide range of insects in the air or on the ground. They capture most of their prey in flight, sometimes by hovering, but will also pick prey by alighting on the ground. The winter diet appears to be almost entirely made up of insects but they take small birds, mammals and amphibians to feed their young in their breeding range. This Amur Falcon is almost majestic as Taisto Jutila, his impressive skating action… His silky stick moves, has great snipes. The Amur Falcon is majestic just like our Taisto Jutila.

Edward Williams (Center)- Bat Falcon
·        Bat Falcon prefers to spend their time at the edges of rivers to catch unwary birds and bats that happen to fly across the waterway. The unobstructed view and flying space favors the falcon and keeps many birds from flying across the river. For this reason, small birds adapted to the forest understory rarely fly across a waterway as wide as the Tambopata. Therefore, populations of the same species residing in the forests on opposite banks are practically isolated. Birds with rapid flight such as parakeets and swifts don’t hesitate. They just fly across rivers. However, they fly in flocks because Bat Falcons love to eat them! Edward Williams likes to sit on the edge of the net and wait for the PUCK (PREY) redirected off the goalie and then he will attack that PUCK and shot into the net.

Michael Lee (Right Defender)- Saker Falcon
·        Sakers occupy stick nests in trees, about 15 to 20 meters above the ground, in parklands and open forests at the edge of the tree line. No one has ever observed a saker falcon building its own stick nest; they generally occupy abandoned nests of other bird species, and sometimes even drive owners from an occupied nest. As with other falcons, sakers have sharp, curved talons, used primarily for grasping prey. Sakers use their powerful, hooked beak to sever the prey’s vertebral column. Michael Lee was traded from the Carolina Kraken to the Detroit Falcons; he is a big defenseman that will add strength to the Detroit Falcons Defense. He is going to snap all the vertebras of the opponents that come into his zone.

Joseph Fantobean (Left Defender)- Aplomado Falcons
·        Aplomado Falcons are quick to defend their territory against any intruders. They fly quickly after hawks, kites, vultures, or any other animal that poses a threat to their nest and young. They often stoop, or dive at the intruders, who are usually much bigger than they are! But this doesn’t stop the falcons from screaming loudly at intruders with a sharp SKREE, SKREE, SKREE and sometimes knocking them on the back of the head. The birds will continue this behavior until the offending animal is far enough away that it no longer poses a threat to the falcons’ young. When not actively hunting, they perch on fence posts, in trees, or along power poles, taking in their surroundings. As a defender Joseph Fantobean is quick on reading the offense as it comes into the Falcons.

Zoltan Topalo (Left Wing)- Red-Necked Falcon
·        The Red-Necked Falcon is a rather small but powerful falcon with fast and direct flight. It prefers to prey on birds found in open areas. The voice of this species is a shrill kek-kek-kek. It often perches hidden in the crown of a palm, and chases birds, bats and large insects with a fast dashing flight. It is most active at dawn and dusk, hunting below the tree canopy. They often hunt in pairs, sometimes utilizing a technique in which one of the pair flies low and flushes up small birds while the other follows higher up and seizes the prey as it rises from cover. Now Zoltan Topalo is not the smallest player on the team but he is a very quick falcon, and he is one of the quickest on the team, he works good when he has another teammate, he had 15 assist last season, so he is like the Red-Necked Falcon because when hunting they assist another Red-Necked Falcon in scoring some prey.

Zakkira Diporov (Right Wing)- Gyrfalcon
·        Gyrfalcon the largest of the falcon species is a bird of prey. The abbreviation gyrfalcon is also used. It breeds on Arctic coasts and tundra, and the islands of northern North America and the Siberian region. Gyrfalcons are very large falcons. They have pointed wings, but they are not as pointed or as narrow as the wings of smaller falcons. The tail is relatively long. The body is thick and powerful, particularly in females, which are substantially larger than males. They hunt primarily birds in open country, sometimes flying high and attacking from above, but more often approaching fast and low, hugging ground contours. They often perch on the ground. Gyrfalcons breed on arctic tundra. When they come south for winter, they look for similar habitat: open fields, coastlines, dunes, prairie, and shrubsteppe. Zakkira Diporov is a Big Russian and the Gyrfalcon well is a Big Russian Falcon. The bird hunts in open fields so does Zakkira Diporov on the ice when he is hitting everyone in open ice, finished top ten in hits last season.

Sammy Blaze (Right Wing)- Prairie falcon
·        Prairie Falcons are brown above and pale with brown markings on the breast and belly. From below, they show dark under the wing from the "armpit" to the wrist. From above, the tail is paler and contrasts with the back and wings. They have a pale stripe above the eye and a brown mustache stripe. Prairie Falcons often hunt from low altitudes, flapping powerfully across open areas and surprising prey by hugging the ground contours to stay out of view. They occur in wide-open habitats of the West, including sagebrush, desert, prairie, agricultural fields, and alpine meadows up to about 11,000 feet elevation. They nest on ledges on sheer rocky cliffs. Sammy Blaze was a rookie last year and had a decent rookie campaign last season; he is coming into this season with determination and bravery to get better just like the Prairie Falcon. Kek kek!

Oliver Setzinger (Right Defender)- Merlin Falcon
·        A bird of prey once known colloquially as a pigeon hawk in North America, the merlin breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. Males typically have wingspans of 53–58 centimeters (21–23 in). That the merlin has a long-standing presence on both sides of the Atlantic is evidenced by the degree of genetic distinctness between Eurasian and North American populations. Arguably, they might be considered distinct species, with gene flow having ceased at least a million years ago, but probably more. The relationships of the merlin are not resolved to satisfaction. In size, shape and coloration, it is fairly distinct among living falcons. The red-necked falcon is sometimes considered more closely related to the merlin than other falcons, but this seems to be a coincidence due to similar hunting habits; it could not be confirmed in more recent studies. Oliver Setzinger a right defender for the Detroit Falcons and his ability to read the offense, he knows what is going to happen before it happens.

Evangelos Giannopoulos (Left Defender)- Pygmy Falcon
·        Pygmy falcon territories are occasionally inhabited by groups, where there are more than two adults living together and tending nestlings. There are four potential reasons for this behavior: defense, co-operative polyandry, delayed dispersal of offspring and cooperation, and thermoregulation (warmth). Corroboration for the last is that in winter African pygmy falcons nest further inside the nest of sociable weavers, where there is better insulation. The smallest falcon species is the Pygmy falcon which measures just 20 cm. So Evangelos Giannopoulos is a new addition to the team, and he is the smallest on the team as well so this falcon fits him well. But he has potential to lead this team a few years. These little falcons are good at defending their nest. So he too can defend well KEK KEK!

Andrew Ioannou (Right Wing)- Black Falcon
·        The black falcon is known to both harass and be harassed by other bird species, including raptors and corvids. It may be found resting on power poles during the day but will not sit on wires. The falcon's flight has been described as variable. Generally it flies with relaxed ‘crow-like’ wing beats with occasional soaring. It also flies with a stiffer, shorter wing beat. It glides and soars with slightly drooped or sometimes horizontal wings, carpals forward (wings are stretched out straight when gliding). Tail is normally folded (except when soaring, when it is fanned with notched corners). It often soars for long periods without flapping and catches prey in the air or on the ground. In pursuit of prey it uses powerful, rapid wing beats. While resting the bird's wing tips are shorter than the tail and legs appear short.        Andrew Ioannou is like this bird because he is a cool player to look at.

Daedalus James (Center)- Brown Falcon
·        The Brown Falcon is a relatively large falcon native to Australia and New Guinea A number of plumage morphs occur, with the primary distinction being between the pale morph and the dark morph. Both morphs usually have dark brown upper parts and wing coverts. Dark morph birds have predominantly dark under parts, although some light streaking is common. Pale morph birds have white under parts that are varyingly streaked with brown, sometimes heavily so. Pale individuals may also have prominently white under tail coverts and these may be diagnostic. Brown falcons breed from June to November, usually in an old nest of another hawk species; they occasionally nest in hollow limbs of trees. The brown falcon lies between two and five eggs that have red and brown spots and blotches. Daedalus is a great up and comer, brand new to the team and has a big brown beard. GOOD LUCK IN DETROIT!

Yngve Simonsson (Left Wing) – Grey Falcons
·        The Gray Falcon is a medium-sized falcon native to Australia, possibly the rarest. It is uncommon throughout its range and is currently classified as Vulnerable. The grey falcon is an Australian endemic, usually confined to the arid inland. It inhabits Triodia grassland, Acacia shrubland, and lightly timbered arid woodland. It has been sighted over most of mainland Australia except for Cape York. Very few have been seen on the Nullarbor Plain and in the Great Victoria, Gibson and Great Sandy Deserts. Most sightings of the grey falcon have been within the arid zones, with annual rainfall less than 500 mm. When they have been occasionally seen outside of these areas, they have been found in similar dry, low altitude, open woodland or grassland. The only times this bird has been seen in different conditions has been along the Queensland coast during drought years. The grey falcon is often seen in family-type groups of an adult pair and usually one (but up to four) first year birds. Yngve Simonsson is a stealthy left wing, but he is quick on speed and acceleration like the Grey Falcon, they both get up and go when on the hunt for either some dinner or the hockey puck.

Kolja Kekkonen (Right Defender)- New Zealand Falcon
·        The New Zealand falcon is New Zealand's only falcon. Other common names for the bird are bush hawk and sparrow hawk. It is frequently mistaken for the larger and more common swamp harrier. It is the country's most threatened bird of prey, with only around 3000–5000 breeding pairs remaining. An aggressive bird that displays great violence when defending its territory, the New Zealand falcon has been reported to attack dogs, as well as people. The New Zealand falcon is mainly found in heavy bush and the steep high country in the South Island, and is rarely seen north of a line through the central area of the North Island. A small population also breeds on the Auckland Islands; the species is known from the Chatham Islands from fossil remains. With a wingspan between 63 cm (25 in) and 98 cm (39 in) and weight rarely exceeding 450 g (16 oz), the New Zealand falcon is slightly over half the size of the swamp harrier, which it usually attacks on sight. Unlike the swamp harrier, the New Zealand falcon catches other birds in flight, and rarely eats carrion. The male is about two-thirds the weight of the female. Kolija Kekkonen is very territorial like the New Zealand Falcon. Both of these majestic Falcons are ready to defend Thor Odinson and Valtteri Aalto this season, like little baby birds and Kolja is the momma bird and he is trying to feed… nevermind. KEK!

Cenek Iqbal (Left Wing)- Orange-breasted Falcon
·        The Orange-breasted Falcon is probably closely related to and looks like a larger version of the bat falcon. These two, in turn, are probably closest to the aplomado falcon and constitute a rather old American lineage of Falco. The orange-breasted falcon, however, seems to favor more heavily wooded habitats than the peregrine, therefore the species does not seem to be in ecological competition with peregrine falcons wintering or breeding in South America. Living in the predominately tropical climates of Guatemala and Belize, these birds use the humidity of their niche to their advantage. The orange-breasted falcon purposely crashed into leaves of trees with water gathered on them as a form of bathing. The orange-breasted falcon has a similar plumage to the much smaller bat falcon and is generally considered most closely related to that species now. Well Cenek is new to the Detroit Falcons and he is ready to join a group of falcons, like the Orange-breasted Falcon it works better in packs. Good luck in Detroit!

Toki Wartooth (Left Defender)- Barbary Falcon
·        Barbary Falcon is a medium-sized falcon about the size of a crow. Often hunts by flying very high, then stooping in spectacular dive to strike prey out of the air. The Barbary falcon has a peculiar way of flying, beating only the outer part of its wings like fulmars sometimes do; this also occurs in the peregrine, but less often and far less pronounced. The Barbary falcon's shoulder and pelvis bones are stout by comparison with the peregrine, and its feet are smaller. Barbary falcons breed at different times of year than neighboring peregrine falcon subspecies. Toki Wartooth is a good defender who will protect his zone just like the Barbary Falcon. Look out for Toki this season. He has a chance to be a great defender in the SMJHL.

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