Peregrine Falcon

## Description

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus ), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.

The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread raptor, and one of the most widely found bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area is not always naturally occurring, but one widely introduced by humans, the rock pigeon, which in turn now supports many peregrine populations as a prey species. The peregrine is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon," referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; disagreement exists over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus, or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides. The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the last ice age, therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively tiny. They are only about 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated.

Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The peregrine falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of the widespread use of certain pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.

The peregrine falcon is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species, from small to large. It has also been used as a religious, royal, or national symbol across multiple eras and areas of human civilization.

## Appearance

The Peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the world and the fastest member of the animal kingdom. It is a large, crow-sized falcon; it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The Peregrine falcon is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species, from small to large.

## Distribution

Peregrine falcons can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except in extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. These birds live mostly along mountain ranges, cliffs, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities. They prefer open habitats, from tundra to desert mountains, including grasslands, savannah, meadows, and shrubland. In mild-winter regions, they are usually a permanent resident, and some individuals, especially adult males, will remain in the breeding territory. Only populations that breed in Arctic climates typically migrate great distances during the northern winter.

## Behavior

Peregrine falcons are not very social birds; outside of the breeding season, they are often seen singly or in pairs. These birds are active during the day but hunt most often at dawn and dusk when prey are most active. Peregrines require open space for hunting and searching for prey either from a high perch or from the air. Once prey is spotted, these hunters begin their stoop, folding back the tail and wings, with feet tucked. Prey is typically struck and captured in mid-air; Peregrine falcons strike their prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it with the impact, then turn to catch it in mid-air. If their prey is too heavy to carry, peregrines will drop it to the ground and eat it there. If they miss the initial strike, they will chase their prey in a twisting flight. Peregrines may also surprise and ambush prey on the ground, and in rare cases even pursue the prey on foot. Breeding pairs may hunt together and the female often catches larger prey. Peregrine falcons are generally silent birds but when near the nest, they usually produce a rasping "kack-kack-kack-kack" call.

## Diet

Peregrine falcons are carnivores and feed almost exclusively on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves, waterfowl, songbirds, and waders. On occasion, they will also take bats, rats, voles, hares, shrews, mice, squirrels, insects and reptiles.

## Reproduction

Peregrine falcons are monogamous breeders. A pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. During the breeding season, these birds are territorial and nesting pairs are usually more than 1 km (0.62 mi) apart. Pairs perform courtship flight that includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. The male passes prey it has caught to the female in mid-air. Peregrine falcons nest in a scrape, normally on cliff edges. The female chooses a nest site, where she scrapes a shallow hollow in the loose soil, sand, gravel, or dead vegetation in which to lay eggs. No nest materials are added. Cliff nests are generally located under an overhang, on ledges with vegetation. Egg-laying usually occurs from February to March in the Northern Hemisphere, and from July to August in the Southern Hemisphere; the Australian subspecies may breed as late as November, and equatorial populations may nest anytime between June and December. The female lays 3 to 5 white to buff eggs with red or brown markings. They are incubated for 29 to 33 days, mainly by the female; the male also helps with the incubation of the eggs during the day. After hatching, the chicks are covered with creamy-white down and have disproportionately large feet. They fledge 42 to 46 days after hatching and remain dependent on their parents for up to 2 months. Peregrine falcons usually reach reproductive maturity at 1 to 3 years of age, but in larger populations, they breed after 2 to 3 years of age.

## Population

### Population threats

The Peregrine falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of the widespread use of certain pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild. Apart from such anthropogenic threats as collisions with human-made objects, Peregrine falcons may also be killed by larger hawks and owls. In some areas of their range, these birds also suffer from habitat degradation through wood harvesting, overgrazing, and burning. Human disturbance such as rock climbing activities poses another threat as disturbed nesting birds are forced to leave their nests.

### Population number

According to the IUCN Red List, the total Peregrine falcon population size is around 100,000-499,999 mature individuals. The European population includes 14,900-28,800 pairs, which equates to 29,700-57,600 mature individuals. According to the All About Birds resource, the total breeding population size of the species is 140,000 individuals. Overall, currently, Peregrine falcons are classified as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List and their numbers today are increasing.

### Ecological niche

Peregrine falcons play an important role in their ecosystem; due to their diet habits, these birds control populations of their prey such as pigeons, doves, ptarmigan, and ducks.

## Fun Facts for Kids

The Peregrine falcon is the world's most widespread raptor, and one of the most widely found bird species.

The Peregrine falcon is a highly admired falconry bird and has been used in falconry for more than 3,000 years, beginning with nomads in central Asia. Perhaps because of their amazing flying and hunting skills, Peregrine falcons have had cultural significance for humans throughout history. To this day, they are still one of the most popular birds in the sport of falconry, and in ancient times they were considered the birds of royalty.

The Peregrine falcon reaches faster speeds than any other animal on the planet when performing its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive); this involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds of over 320 km/h (200 mph), hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. The air pressure from such a dive could possibly damage a bird's lungs, but due to special adaptation, the bird is able to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. To protect their eyes, falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision.

Peregrine falcons handled by falconers are also occasionally used to scare away birds at airports to reduce the risk of bird-plane strikes, improving air-traffic safety. They were also used to intercept homing pigeons during World War II.

The Peregrine falcon is the national animal of the United Arab Emirates.