# 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.

- **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.

## About

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...

## Sources

- Plate: https://gaia-dex.com/species/d661bbff-8568-4a19-bc3d-5ab652c05ac2
- iNaturalist: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/4647
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falco peregrinus
- Conservation status: IUCN Red List category, as recorded by Gaia-Dex
- Photo: https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/226608554/medium.jpg (Nicolás Villaseca Merino, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist)

Habitat, diet, size and similar notes are AI-written summaries; check them against the linked sources before relying on them.