Eurasian Hobby
Falco subbuteo · Șoimul rândunelelor
A slim, fast falcon of semi-open country, widespread across Romania from the Danube floodplain to the hills.
At a glance
- Status in Romania
- Summer visitor
- Habitat
- Forest / Meadow / Urban
- Activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Diet
- Mainly large insects, especially grasshoppers and crickets, caught in flight.
- Conservation status
- Least Concern (IUCN)
- Photography difficulty
- Difficult
Photograph this species
- Best months
- April, May, June, July, August, September, October
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Photography difficulty
- Difficult
- Where to look
- Open country with scattered trees from April to October; watch for fast, low hunting flights at dusk.
Months confirmed by a Romanian source. General guidance, not local sightings.
Photography Guide
Practical starting points based on the species’ behaviour and habitat, not fixed rules.
- Where and how to look
- Open country with scattered trees from April to October; watch for fast, low hunting flights at dusk.
- Best time / activity
- Morning · Daytime · Evening
- Behaviour to anticipate
- Evening hunting flights over meadows and water.
- Photography difficulty
- Difficult
- Starting shutter speed
- 1/2500 sec or faster — this is one of the fastest small falcons.
- Fieldcraft
- Find a regular hunting area and return to it; hobbies often patrol the same route.
- Ethics
- Keep well away from nests, never use playback, and leave if the bird changes behaviour because of you.
Identification
Habitat
Distribution
Approximate range in Romania
Diet
Behaviour
Seasonality in Romania
A breeding migrant that arrives in Europe from April and leaves for its African winter quarters in October.
Presence
Estimated from existing data
Breeding
Migration
Wintering
Data note. Some monthly timing is based on existing estimates and has not yet been verified against a Romanian source.
About this data
Source-verified months inform the seasonal filters. Local timing can vary. Unconfirmed months do not imply absence. Presence verification is separate from monthly status; each month's details identify its verification. Lighter bands mark estimated timing. Empty event rows mean no event is recorded, not confirmed absence.