This bird is a medium-sized raptor with long, pointed wings and a long tail. Black moustache marks exist on the side of the face, and its throat is white. Coloring for the lower part of the body is white and reddish buffy, extensively spotted and barred with black. The legs and feet are yellow.
Immature birds are brown above, streaked below.
Other common avian species of small to medium size serve as the falcon's prey. Its diet includes bluejays, flickers, meadowlarks, pigeons, starlings, shorebirds, waterfowl, and other readily available species. Peregrines usually hunt their prey in air, diving at speeds of up to 2OO miles per hour to strike the quarry. The prey is either struck to the ground or killed outright by the blow from the falcon's talons. Peregrines may fly 1O to 12 miles from their nest in search of prey.