Appearance
Sapsan - is a large falcon: its length is 34-50 cm, 80-120 cm wing-span As with most other birds of prey, females sapsanov significantly larger than the males: they weigh in the 910-1500 g, whereas the males of some one-third less and their weight is 440-750 g. In the color sexual dimorphism is not pronounced (exception - a rare subspecies F. p. madens), - males and females look the same.
Overall build strong characteristic of active birds of prey - a broad chest with solid and convex muscles, strong fingers with sharp claws and sharp bent and short, bent serpoobrazno beak. In adult birds, upper body, including the narrow pointed wings and nadhvoste , aspidno-gray, often with vague dark cross bars (see «Subcategories»). The tip of the wings are black.The ventral portion is usually light, depending on the area of habitat, it may be grayish-white, pink, fox or ohristoy, with thin brown or black transverse pestrinami on the belly, sides and podhvoste. On the chest pestriny kaplevidnye. The tail is relatively long, narrow, rounded at the end. The lower part of tail black with a white stripe on the end. The upper part of head and «mustache» (feathers of the angle of the beak to the throat), black, lower part of neck and contrast-bright - white or fox. Eyes large, convex, dark brown, surrounded by a yellowish ring of bare skin. Voskovitsa yellow beak and feet are black. At the end of nadklyuvya have teeth that birds perekusyvayut spine at the neck of his victim. At the foot of the inner toe considerably shorter than the outer, middle finger length pirn.
Plumage of young birds noticeably less contrast - the upper body with a brown-colored borders ohristogo inherent lower better and is more longitudinal pestriny than the transverse band in adult birds. Voskovitsa bluish-gray, yellow legs.