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PEREGRINE FALCON
 
 
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
FAST FACTS
FUN FACTS
ECOLOGY & CONSERVATION
BIBLIOGRAPHY
MENU - FALCONIFORMES
 
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
COMMON NAME: peregrine falcon, duck hawk, game hawk, great-footed hawk
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Aves
ORDER: Falconiformes
FAMILY: Falconidae
GENUS SPECIES: Falco peregrinus
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FAST FACTS
DESCRIPTION: Dorsal side slate-blue/gray in color, underside is white with a multitude of evenly distributed dark brown or black bars. Throat and chin are solid white. Markings on the head resemble a black helmet. The tail is slate blue with bars and white at the tip. The upper portion of the beak is yellow, the middle is slate blue and the tip is black. The legs and feet are yellow.
SIZE: Body length: 406-508 mm (16-20 in.)
Wingspan: 1 m (43 in.)
WEIGHT: 0.59 kg (1.3 pounds)
DIET: Feeds primarily on medium sized birds
INCUBATION: 28-32 days
CLUTCH SIZE 2-6 eggs
FLEDGING DURATION 35-42 days
SEXUAL MATURITY: 2-3 years
LIFE SPAN: 6-8 years, possibly up to 20 years
RANGE: Worldwide except for Antarctica
HABITAT: Found primarily in open areas with good visibility
POPULATION: GLOBAL 10,000-100,000
REGIONAL Varies by location
STATUS: IUCN Listed as Least Concern
CITES Appendix I
USFWS Has recovered from Endangered status and is now not listed
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FUN FACTS
1. Performs vertical dives called "stoops" in which they snatch their prey out of mid-air. During the stoop they can reach speeds or more than 175 mph (282 km/hr) making them the fastest bird in the world.
   
2. Peregrine falcons are monogamous. They also return to the same nesting site each year. Some sites have been used for centuries by multiple generations.
   
3. For more than a thousand years, the peregrine falcon has been one of the most prized birds in the sport of falconry.
   
4. Peregrine falcons do not build nests. They scrape a depression into the soil on the ground or on a ledge. Occassionally they will use the abandon nests of other species.
   
5. The term falcon derives from the Latin falco meaning 'sickle'. This references the curved beak and talons of these birds.
   
6. The name peregrine derives from the Latin peregrinus meaning 'pilgrim', 'wanderer', or 'foreigner'. This references the extreme range of this falcon species.
   
7. For more information about raptors, explore the RAPTORS INFOBOOK.
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ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION

Like many other raptor species, peregrine falcons were catastrophically affected by the pestacide DDT. By 1967 peregrine falcons were completely extinct east of the Mississippi River. With the regulation of DDT and efforts from captive breeding and release programs, the peregrine falcon has experienced an outstanding recovery and is now seen in many of its historic ranges.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alsop, F.J. Birds of North America, Western Region. DK Publishing, Inc., 2001.
 

http://www.nps.gov/yuch/Expanded/key_resources/birds/species_descriptions/
pefa_description.htm
 

http://www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/publications/lifeseries/peregrine.htm
 

http://www.birdlife.net/datazone/sites/?action=SpcHTMDetails.asp&sid=3622&m=0
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