How to Identify aPeregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus · 14.2–19.3 in (36–49 cm)
Male vs. female
Male
Slate-gray above, pale below with fine dark barring, and a broad black malar stripe forming a helmet.
Female
Identical in pattern but up to a third larger.
Male photo: Mykola Swarnyk / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Second photo: Ariefrahman / Wikimedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Field marks
- Thick black moustache and hood forming a helmet
- Finely barred, not streaked, underparts
- Long pointed wings and a stiff powerful wingbeat
- Yellow eye-ring, cere and legs
Similar species
What it sounds like
A loud, harsh, repeated "kack-kack-kack" in defence of a nest ledge.
Behaviour that gives it away
Stoops on prey from great height at speeds over 200 mph, making it the fastest animal on earth.
Habitat & range
Cliffs, coastlines, river gorges and city buildings and bridges across North America.
When you'll see it
Depending on where in North America you are, it is present all year and a passage migrant, seen mainly in spring and autumn.
What it eats
Birds caught in flight, from songbirds to ducks and pigeons.
Did you know?
Wiped out east of the Rockies by DDT, it was restored by captive breeding and now nests on skyscrapers and bridges in most large cities.
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