Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
During its signature hunting dive, known as a stoop, the Peregrine Falcon can reach speeds exceeding 240 mph (386 km/h), making it the fastest animal on Earth.
- Scientific name
- Falco peregrinus
- Taxonomy
- Animalia › Chordata › Aves › Falconiformes › Falconidae › Falco
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- increasing
- Biome
- urban
- Habitat
- Cliffs, skyscrapers, open valleys, and coastal regions.
- Diet
- Carnivorous; primarily medium-sized birds like pigeons, doves, and waterfowl.
- Range
- Global distribution, North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa, South America
- Size
- Wingspan: 74-120 cm; Weight: 0.5-1.5 kg
- Lifespan
- 12-15 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Collisions with glass windows, secondary poisoning from pesticides, and habitat disturbance.
- Safe to approach?
- Harmless to humans but highly defensive near nests. Maintain a distance of at least 50 meters from nesting sites on cliffs or buildings. If a falcon dives or 'screams' at you, you are too close. If you find an injured falcon, contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitator; do not attempt to handle it without thick leather gloves as their talons are extremely sharp.
The peregrine falcon ( Falco peregrinus ), also known as the peregrine , and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its...
Photo: Nicolás Villaseca Merino, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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