Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also referred to simply as the peregrine, and the "duck hawk" in North America.

Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will sometimes 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 human-made structures.

Taxonomy and systematics

thumb|right|A pair of peregrines eating ducks. Illustration by [[John James Audubon]]

Falco peregrinus was first described under its current binomial name by English ornithologist Marmaduke Tunstall in his 1771 work Ornithologia Britannica. and 19 accepted by the 1994 Handbook of the Birds of the World, It is non-migratory. It is similar to F. p. brookei in appearance, but is slightly smaller and the ear region is entirely black. The feet are proportionally large.

Compared to the other peregrine falcon subspecies, Barbary falcons have a slimmer body

The life span of peregrine falcons in the wild is up to 19 years 9 months. Mortality in the first year is 59–70%, declining to 25–32% annually in adults. According to a National Geographic TV program, in 2005 Ken Franklin recorded a falcon stooping at a top speed of .

Feeding

thumb|An immature peregrine falcon eating its prey on the deck of a ship

thumb|An adult peregrine feeding on a [[cackling goose, in California]]

The peregrine falcon's diet varies greatly and is adapted to available prey in different regions. However, it typically feeds on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves, waterfowl, gamebirds, songbirds, parrots, seabirds, and waders. Worldwide, it is estimated that between 1,500 and 2,000 bird species, or roughly a fifth of the world's bird species, are predated somewhere by these falcons. The peregrine falcon preys on the most diverse range of bird species of any raptor in North America, with over 300 species and including nearly 100 shorebirds. Smaller hawks (such as sharp-shinned hawks) and owls are regularly predated, as well as smaller falcons such as the American kestrel, merlin and, rarely, other peregrines. Among pigeons, the rock dove or feral pigeon comprises 80% or more of the dietary intake of peregrines. Other common city birds are also taken regularly, including mourning doves, common wood pigeons, common swifts, northern flickers, Eurasian collared doves, common starlings, American robins, common blackbirds, and corvids such as magpies, jays or crows. Coastal populations of the large subspecies pealei feed almost exclusively on seabirds. Though peregrines generally do not prefer terrestrial mammalian prey, in Rankin Inlet, peregrines largely take northern collared lemmings (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) along with a few Arctic ground squirrels (Urocitellus parryii). Other small mammals including shrews, mice, rats, voles, and squirrels are more seldom taken. Peregrines occasionally take rabbits, mainly young individuals and juvenile hares. Additionally, remains of red fox kits and adult female American marten were found among prey remains.

The peregrine falcon hunts most often at dawn and dusk, when prey are most active, but also nocturnally in cities, particularly during migration periods when hunting at night may become prevalent. Nocturnal migrants taken by peregrines include species as diverse as yellow-billed cuckoo, black-necked grebe, Virginia rail, and common quail. As of 2018, the fastest recorded falcon was at 242 mph (nearly 390 km/h). Researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and at Oxford University used 3D computer simulations in 2018 to show that the high speed allows peregrines to gain better maneuverability and precision in strikes.

Reproduction

thumb|right|At nest, France

thumb|Egg, [[Museum Wiesbaden]]

The peregrine falcon is sexually mature at one to three years of age, but in larger populations they breed after two to three years of age. A pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. The courtship flight includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. The female chooses a nest site, where she scrapes a shallow hollow in the loose soil, sand, gravel, or dead vegetation in which to lay eggs. No nest materials are added.

The date of egg-laying varies according to locality, but is generally from February to March in the Northern Hemisphere, and from July to August in the Southern Hemisphere, although the Australian subspecies F. p. macropus may breed as late as November, and equatorial populations may nest anytime between June and December. If the eggs are lost early in the nesting season, the female usually lays another clutch, although this is extremely rare in the Arctic due to the short summer season. Generally three to four eggs, but sometimes as few as one or as many as five, are laid in the scrape. These pesticides caused falcon prey to also have thinner eggshells (one example of prey being the black petrels).

Recovery efforts

Peregrine falcon recovery teams breed the species in captivity.

Since peregrine falcon eggs and chicks are still often targeted by illegal poachers,), the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada declared the species no longer at risk in December 2017.

Peregrines now breed in many mountainous and coastal areas, especially in the west and north, and nest in some urban areas, capitalising on the urban feral pigeon populations for food.

In many parts of the world peregrine falcons have adapted to urban habitats, nesting on cathedrals, skyscraper window ledges, and tower blocks.

In the UK, peregrine falcons have become increasingly urban in distribution, particularly in southern areas where inland cliffs suitable as nesting sites are scarce. The first recorded urban breeding pair was observed nesting on the Swansea Guildhall in the 1980s. is widely regarded as one of the best nature books in English written in the twentieth century. Admirers of the book include Robert Macfarlane, Mark Cocker, who regards the book as "one of the most outstanding books on nature in the twentieth century" and Werner Herzog, who called it "the one book I would ask you to read if you want to make films", and said elsewhere "it has prose of the calibre that we have not seen since Joseph Conrad". In the book, Baker recounts, in diary form, his detailed observations of peregrines (and their interaction with other birds) near his home in Chelmsford, Essex, over a single winter from October to April.

An episode of the hour-long TV series Starman in 1986 titled "Peregrine" was about an injured peregrine falcon and the endangered species program. It was filmed with the assistance of the University of California's peregrine falcon project in Santa Cruz.

In 1999, the Suzuki Corporation of Japan named a new motorcycle Hayabusa (隼 or はやぶさ、ハヤブサ), Japanese for peregrine falcon. Suzuki claims that the top Hayabusa model was the fastest production motorcycle in the world at that time.

Explanatory notes

Citations

Sources

External links

; Conservation organizations

Arctic Raptors – Ongoing research with raptors in the Canadian Arctic
Falcon Research Group
Peregrine Falcon Fund
The Canadian Peregrine Foundation
Peregrine Falcon Recovery Project (Manitoba)
London Peregrine Partnership (UK)

; Video and other media of peregrines

Live webcams at a Peregrine nest site in Landshut (Scroll down and press play button.)
A video of the falcon stooping at a top speed of .
Derby Cathedral Peregrine Project, UK. Links to webcams and video sequences
Norwich Cathedral Peregrine Web Cam 2015, UK.
The Raptor Resource Project. Links to Peregrine Falcon webcams
Peregrines on Brussels Cathedral
Photo documentation of Peregrines returning to south California beach cliffs after over 50 years absence
Nottingham Trent University, where peregrines return to breed on the top of the Newton building every year. Includes images and webcam.
University of Massachusetts Amherst Live Falcon Cam at the top of the W.E.B. DuBois library, active each year from when the bonded pair of peregrine falcons brood eggs until the chicks are fledged.
Worcester Peregrine Falcon Project, UK. Includes feeds from 'Peregrines in Worcester' Facebook Fan page, YouTube & Flickr photo groups
Peregrine Falcon Banding, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels; 3 June 2010; 3-minute YouTube video clip
Throgs Neck Bridge Peregrine Banding 2011, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels; 27 May 2011; 10:54 YouTube video clip
Peregrine Falcon Banding 2012, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels; 4 June 2012; 2:40 YouTube video clip
Peregrine Falcon Banding 2016, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Bridges and Tunnels; 2 June 2016; 4:15 YouTube video clip