Adults are gray on top, white or cream underneath, with pronounced, Elvis-style sideburns. Also has adapted to urban areas with tall buildings. They stay close to the nesting area in spring but range wider afield at other times of the year.
Peregrines feed on mid-sized birds, such as starlings and songbirds.
But contrary to myth, they were not reintroduced for pigeon control. Listed as federal endangered species in 1972. Following successful reintroduction efforts and prohibition of pesticide DDT, removed from federal endangered list in 1999 after 1,650 nesting pairs were counted in U.S. and Canada. Those include Scout, a female released into the wild in Wisconsin in 1992, and Kinney, a male released in Kentucky in 1993. The pair first nested in Downtown Indianapolis in 1995 and have reared 21 young falcons in the years since.