Falcon

A falcon (/ˈfɔːlkən, ˈfæl-/) is any one of 37 species of raptors in the genus Falco, widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica.

Adult falcons have thin, tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers, which make their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing. This makes it easier to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters as adults.

The falcons are the largest genus in the Falconinae subfamily of Falconidae, which itself also includes another subfamily comprising caracaras and a few other species. All these birds kill with their beaks, using a "tooth" on the side of their beaks — unlike the hawks, eagles, and other birds of prey in Accipitridae, which use their feet.

Peregrine falcons have been recorded diving at speeds of 200 miles per hour (320 km/h), making them the fastest-moving creatures on Earth. Other falcons include the gyrfalcon, lanner falcon, and merlin. Some small falcons with long, narrow wings are called hobbies, and some which hover while hunting are called kestrels.

Falcons (disambiguation)

Falcons are a genus of raptor (bird of prey).

Falcons may also refer to:

See also

Falcons (rugby team)

The Falcons – better known by their Afrikaans name the Valke and currently known as the Hino Valke for sponsorship reasons – are a South African rugby union team in Gauteng province that participates in the annual Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup tournaments.

Their home ground is currently Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, to which they have returned in 2009. The Falcons have operated out of both Bosman Stadium in Brakpan and Pam Brink Stadium in Springs. They occasionally still host matches at Bosman Stadium. The Falcons draw players from Ekurhuleni and other municipalities to the east and south of Johannesburg.

History

The Falcons Rugby Union was originally founded in 1947, and was previously known as the Eastern Transvaal Rugby Football Union. After the 1995 World Cup, rugby was declared a professional sport in South Africa, after which the Eastern Transvaal Rugby Football Union merged with the Vaal Triangle Rugby Union to form the Gauteng Falcons Rugby Union and are one of only fourteen Provincial Unions in the country.

VIP (disambiguation)

VIP is a Very Important Person.

VIP or V.I.P. may also refer to:

Entertainment

Film

Music

Very Important Person

A very important person (VIP) is a person who is accorded special privileges due to his or her status or importance.

Examples include celebrities, heads of state or heads of government, other politicians, major employers, high rollers, high-level corporate officers, wealthy individuals, or any other notable person who receives special treatment for any reason. The special treatment usually involves separation from common people, and a higher level of comfort or service. In some cases such as with tickets, VIP may be used as a title in a similar way to premium. These "VIP tickets" can be purchased by anyone, but still meaning separation from other customers, own security checks etc.

VIP syndrome

VIP syndrome is when a perceived VIP uses his/her status to influence a given professional to make unorthodox decisions under the pressure or presence of the individual. The phenomenon can occur in any profession that has relationships with wealthy, famous, and powerful clients or patients, particularly medical or airline professions. One example is the 2010 Polish Air Force Tu-154 crash.

VIP (hip hop group)

VIP (Vision In Progress) is a Ghanaian Hiplife group.

Made up of Promzy (Emmanuel Promzy Ababio), Prodigal (Joseph Nana Ofori), and Lazzy, now Zeal (Abdul Hamid Ibrahim) from a ghetto suburb in Accra, Ghana called Nima.

Formation

The founder of this group is actually Friction (Musah Haruna) who formed this group with a friend of his who later had to leave the group for the U.S. to finish his education. So Friction proposed the idea to four people (Promzy, Lazzy, Prodigal, Bone-later left the group) and before they knew it, the five of them were performing at ghetto parties, clubs, street festivals etc.

Friction's dog, Chicago, was also an official member of the group. You could hear the dog growling at the end of their tracks from the late 1990s. Eventually Chicago died.

Albums

VOP

VOP may mean: