When a falcon is at high altitude, what is it more likely to target?

When a falcon is at high altitude, it typically has a better vantage point to spot prey, and one of the most advantageous targets would be a duck breaking from the flock over land. This scenario is particularly relevant because falcons are known for their exceptional hunting skills from the air, allowing them to dive at high speeds to catch fast-moving or fluttering birds in the open skies. Ducks, when startled and taking flight, present an opportunity for a falcon that can capitalize on its aerial prowess to make a successful catch.

Flying at a high altitude provides the falcon with the ability to survey a wide area and identify the movements of various prey species, but ducks are often in flocks and can be easier to target when they take off or scatter. Other potential targets, such as upland game birds or rabbits hiding in bushes, would not be as advantageous as an aerial target since those animals are often more concealed and do not have the same susceptibility to aerial attacks as birds do when flying.

Thus, the likelihood of targeting a duck in flight is heightened due to the birds' patterns of movement and the advantage gained through the falcon's hunting strategies.