ABSTRACT Australia’s endemic Grey Falcon is an iconic but elusive bird of the arid interior. Whilst reviews of its ecology and status are more than 25 years old, new targeted studies include a population size estimate that is considerably lower (<1,000 individuals) than the one previously advanced (<5,000 individuals). According to this revised estimate, the Grey Falcon’s national conservation status should be considered to be ‘Vulnerable’, but the species is not declared threatened under Australian national legislation. A ‘threatened’ listing could, however, be expected if support for the lower population size estimate becomes available. A prerequisite for investigations aiming to test that estimate, and to determine what may threaten the future of this species, is a more comprehensive understanding of the species’ ecology. Our analysis of the relevant literature on the species’ ecology shows that the Grey Falcon is unique among its congeners in persisting exclusively in a hot arid/semi-arid environment, and in its strong dietary restriction. Further, young Grey Falcons may live in the close company of their parents up to a year after fledging, and this would be unique among raptors of that size if correct. Finally, the species’ environment is characterised by extreme, unpredictable climatic events, and understanding how these birds interact with these environmental features is key to assessing their possible responses to climate change.

中文翻译：

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灰隼 Falco hypoleucos 的生态学——当前和所需的知识

摘要 澳大利亚特有的灰隼是干旱内陆地区一种标志性但难以捉摸的鸟类。虽然对其生态和状态的审查已有超过 25 年的历史，但新的有针对性的研究包括的种群规模估计值（<1,000 人）远低于之前进行的研究（<5,000 人）。根据这一修订后的估计，灰隼的国家保护状况应被视为“易危”，但根据澳大利亚国家立法，该物种并未被宣布为受威胁物种。但是，如果对较低人口规模估计的支持可用，则可能会出现“受威胁”列表。旨在测试该估计并确定可能威胁该物种未来的调查的先决条件是更全面地了解该物种的生态。我们对该物种生态学相关文献的分析表明，灰隼在其同类中是独一无二的，它只在炎热的干旱/半干旱环境中生存，并严格限制饮食。此外，年轻的灰隼在羽化后可能会与父母亲密生活长达一年，如果正确的话，这在这种体型的猛禽中将是独一无二的。最后，该物种的环境以极端、不可预测的气候事件为特征，了解这些鸟类如何与这些环境特征相互作用是评估它们对气候变化可能做出的反应的关键。年轻的灰隼在羽化后可能会与父母亲密生活长达一年，如果正确的话，这在这种体型的猛禽中将是独一无二的。最后，该物种的环境以极端、不可预测的气候事件为特征，了解这些鸟类如何与这些环境特征相互作用是评估它们对气候变化可能做出的反应的关键。年轻的灰隼在羽化后可能会与父母亲密生活长达一年，如果正确的话，这在这种体型的猛禽中将是独一无二的。最后，该物种的环境以极端、不可预测的气候事件为特征，了解这些鸟类如何与这些环境特征相互作用是评估它们对气候变化可能做出的反应的关键。