Hobbies are the flying aces among falcons. Cutting and swirling through the air with graceful beats of their long wings, they perform agile and daring manoeuvres. Dragonflies and other insects are easily snatched right out of the air, while small birds such as swifts and swallows are swooped on with a deadly speed. Pairs of hobbies put on spectacular acrobatic displays as they pass food to each other mid-air. Their typical habitat is the open country, bush and savannah of Europe, Asia and Africa. In Britain, many nest in farmland hedgerows and open woodland.

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