Peregrine falcon

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Peregrine falcon

Adult with prey in Nova Scotia,

Canada

Conservation status

Least Concern (IUCN 3.1)[1]

Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Aves
Order:
Falconiformes
Family:
Falconidae
Genus:
Falco
Species:
F. peregrinus
Binomial name
Falco peregrinus
Tunstall, 1771

Subspecies
1719, see text

Global range of F. peregrinus

Breeding summer visitor
resident Winter visitor
visitor

Breeding
Passage

Synonyms
Falco atriceps Hume
Falco kreyenborgi Kleinschmidt,
1929

Falco pelegrinoides madens

Ripley & Watson, 1963

Rhynchodon peregrinus (Tunstall,

1771)

and see text

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine,[2] and historically as the
duck hawk in North America,[3] 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 and
"moustache". As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic,
females being considerably larger than males.[4][5] The peregrine is renowned for its speed,
reaching over 322 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high speed dive),[6]
making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom.[7][8] According to a National Geographic
TV programme, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph).[9][10]
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[11] 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. 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; there is disagreement 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 small. It has
been determined that they are only approximately 0.60.8% genetically differentiated.[12]
While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will occasionally
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 humanmade structures.[13] 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.[14]
The peregrine falcon is a well respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high
trainability, versatility, and in recent years availability via captive breeding. It is effective on
most game bird species from small to large.