Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Order FALCONIFORMES - Family FALCONIDAE

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1. Cool Facts
2. Description
3. Similar Species
4. Sound
5. Range
6. Habitat
7. Food
8. Behavior
9. Reproduction
10. Conservation Status
11. Other Names

Powerful and fast-flying, the Peregrine Falcon hunts medium-sized birds, dropping down on them from high above in a spectacular stoop. Virtually exterminated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning in the middle 20th century, restoration efforts have made it a regular, if still uncommon sight in many large cities.

Cool Facts

• The name "peregrine" means wanderer, and the Peregrine Falcon has one of the longest migrations of any North American bird. Tundra-nesting falcons winter in South America, and may move 25,000 km (15,500 mi) in a year. Maps of the migration of individual falcons determined by satellite telemetry can be seen at Environment Canada.

• People have trained falcons for hunting for over a thousand years, and the Peregrine Falcon was always one of the most prized birds. Efforts to breed the Peregrine in captivity and reestablish populations depleted during the DDT years were greatly assisted by the existence of methods of handling captive falcons developed by falconers.

• The Peregrine Falcon is a very fast flier, averaging 40-55 km/h (25-34 mph) in traveling flight, and reaching speeds up to 112 km/h (69 mph) in direct pursuit of prey. During its spectacular hunting stoop from heights of over 1 km (0.62 mi), the peregrine may reach speeds of 320 km/h (200 mph) as it drops toward its prey.

• The Peregrine Falcon is one of the most widespread birds in the world. It is found on all continents except Antarctica, and on many oceanic islands.

Description

• Size: 36-49 cm (14-19 in)
• Wingspan: 100-110 cm (39-43 in)
• Weight: 530-1600 g (18.71-56.48 ounces)

• Large falcon, medium-sized hawk.
• Black mustache mark on face.
• Long pointed wings.

• Back and wings bluish gray.
• Head blackish.
• Cheek area behind face stripe white.
• Underparts whitish with variable amount of black spotting and barring.
• Tail and under wings barred gray and black.
• Cere yellow.
• Feet large and yellow.
• Folded wings just reach tip of tail.

Sex Differences

Sexes similar in plumage. Female larger and more heavily marked.

Immature

Juvenile similar to adult but back brownish and underparts streaked, not barred.

Similar Species

• Gyrfalcon much larger, with broader wings, longer tail (folded wingtips do not reach tail tip), and only an indistinct face stripe.
• Prairie Falcon paler and more brown, has dark "armpits."
• American Kestrel much smaller and has a double facial stripe.
• Merlin smaller and slimmer, and has only a very weak facial stripe.

Sound

Alarm call a loud series of harsh "kak, kak, kak."

»listen to songs of this species

Range

Summer Range

Breeds locally from Alaska to Greenland and southward to Mexico, Missouri, and northern Georgia. Also throughout the rest of the world.

Winter Range

Winters from coastal Alaska and southern Canada southward to South America.

Habitat

Found in a variety of habitats, most with cliffs for nesting and open areas for foraging. Uses large cities and nests on buildings.

Food

Mostly birds, from songbirds up to small geese. Bats and other small mammals.

Behavior

Foraging

Searches from perch or while flying. Dives on prey from high above and strikes it with its feet, or pursues it from behind. Kills by biting into neck.

Reproduction

Nest Type

Nest a shallow, unlined scrape. Placed on ledge of cliff or building, or in old raven nest.

Egg Description

Reddish brown with darker brown blotches.

Clutch Size

2-5 eggs.

Condition at Hatching

Helpless, eyes open, covered with off-white down.

Conservation Status

Populations crashed in 1950-1970 because of DDT poisoning; eastern population extirpated. It was declared an Endangered Species, and extensive efforts were made to reestablish birds in East, beginning with the work of Tom Cade in 1970 at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, which eventually developed into the Peregrine Fund. The species recovered enough to be removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999. You can help scientists learn more about this species by participating in the Celebrate Urban Birds! project.

Other Names

Faucon pèlerin (French)
Halcón peregrino (Spanish)
Duck Hawk (English)

Sources used to construct this page:

White, C. M., N. J. Clum, T. J. Cade, and W. G. Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus). In The Birds of North America No. 660 (A. Poole and F. Gill, eds.). The Birds of North America, Inc., Philadelphia, PA.