Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon is a powerful, streamlined falcon with a dark slate-gray back, a bold black "helmet" and moustache mark on a pale face, and finely barred white-to-buff underparts. Its pointed wings and relatively short tail give it a classic falcon silhouette built for speed, and it is famous as the fastest animal in the world, reaching speeds well over 300 km/h (200 mph) in its hunting stoop.

Once devastated across much of its range by the pesticide DDT, which thinned eggshells and crashed populations in the mid-20th century, the Peregrine Falcon has made one of conservation's great comeback stories following the DDT ban and captive-breeding reintroduction programs, and now nests on skyscrapers and bridges in many cities as readily as on wild cliffs.

Key Field Marks

• Dark slate-gray back and crown with a bold black moustache mark against a pale cheek
• Finely barred white to buffy-orange underparts
• Long, pointed wings and relatively short tail, typical falcon shape
• Fast, powerful, direct flight; hunts by stooping on birds from above

Similar Species

• Prairie Falcon: paler brown above with a narrower moustache mark and distinctive dark axillary ("wingpit") patches, found in drier open country rather than cliffs and cities alike.
• Merlin: much smaller and stockier, lacking the strong facial moustache pattern.
• Gyrfalcon: larger and bulkier, typically paler or grayer overall, found in Arctic regions.

Range

Peregrine Falcons have one of the most widespread distributions of any bird species, found on every continent except Antarctica. In North America they breed from the Arctic tundra south through mountainous and coastal regions, and many populations are migratory.

Habitat

Traditionally a cliff-nesting species along coastlines, river gorges, and mountains, Peregrines have adapted remarkably well to urban environments, nesting on skyscrapers, bridges, and other tall structures that mimic natural cliff ledges, often hunting pigeons and other city birds.

Hunting

Peregrines hunt almost exclusively other birds in flight, using a high-speed diving attack called a stoop, in which they fold their wings and plummet from great height to strike prey with their feet, often killing instantly on impact.

Voice

The call is a loud, harsh, repeated "kack-kack-kack," typically given near the nest site in alarm or territorial defense.

Nesting

No nest is built; eggs are laid in a shallow scrape on a cliff ledge, building, or bridge structure. Clutches typically contain three to four eggs, and pairs often reuse the same nest site for many years.