The peregrine falcon is perhaps the fastest animal on earth. In a stoop, or dive, the peregrine has been clocked at speeds of over 180 miles per hour. It has been clocked in diving speeds of up to 90 meters per second and is quite possibly the most efficient of all predators. The peregrine is of the phylum Chordata , the class Aves , the order Falconiformes , and the family Falconidae . There are 17 different races with varying sizes and colors.
All peregrines share the characteristics of basic falcons, a short slim tail and tapered wings.
It feasts mainly on other birds but will sometimes eat any lizard that crosses its path. The peregrine captures its prey with its claws and often kills it with its beak. It lays two to six eggs at time and nests in tall cliffs or even buildings. Since the peregrine sits precariously at the top of the food chain it is affected dramatically by the pesticides that are consumed by the animals that it eats to stay alive. These pesticides, which do not drastically affect its prey, build up in the peregrine falcon leaving it unable to reproduce.