thumb|F.r. petoensis<br />Orange Walk District, [[Belize]]
The bat falcon (Falco rufigularis) is a bird of prey in the family Falconidae, the falcons and caracaras. It is found in Mexico, Central America, Trinidad, and every mainland South American country except Chile and Uruguay.
Taxonomy and systematics
The bat falcon was long known as Falco albigularis; the names Falco fusco-coerulescens or Falco fuscocaerulescens, long used for the aplomado falcon (F. femoralis), are now believed to refer to the present species.
The bat falcon has these three subspecies:
The bat falcon is closely related to and looks like a small version of the orange-breasted falcon (F. deiroleucus), with which it has often been misidentified. They share plumage and vocal characteristics and are sister species. These two had been thought to be closely related to the aplomado falcon (F. femoralis), but more recent genetic evidence shows they are more closely related to the Old World hobbies than to any other New World falcon.
F. r. rufigularis is resident on Trinidad and has been recorded as a vagrant on Tobago.
The bat falcon inhabits tropical forest. It favors unbroken mature forest but also occurs at the forest edge, in gallery forest, on wooded savanna, on cleared land with some remaining trees, and even in suburban and urban areas. In elevation it mostly ranges from sea level to about with a single record in Bolivia at about .
Breeding
The bat falcon's breeding season varies geographically. It spans from February to June in Mexico and northern Central America. It nests in February on Trinidad and probably between October and February in Argentina. Eggs have been noted in March in Venezuela, in April in Guyana, and in August near Manaus, Brazil. Most nests are in tree cavities, either natural or excavated by parrots, and between above the ground. Others have been noted in abandoned trogon nest cavities in arboreal termite nests, on cliffs, and on pre-Columbian ruins. The clutch size is two to four eggs. The incubation period is thought to be about 30 days, fledging occurs about 35 to 40 days after hatch, and young are dependent on the parents for at least 12 weeks after fledging. Both sexes incubate the eggs with the female doing at least 75% of the effort and in some areas all of it. Males provide food for incubating females and also most of the food for nestlings.