Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Aves › Falconiformes › Falconidae › Falco
Conservation status: least_concern
The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on Earth, capable of diving at speeds exceeding 240 miles per hour to snatch birds right out of the sky with deadly precision. You can identify it by its distinctive dark blue-gray back, white underside, and bold black facial markings that look like a "mustache," and it has become a remarkable conservation success story after nearly going extinct in the mid-20th century.
How To Identify
They possess sleek, streamlined bodies with dark slate-grey backs and light underside plumage. Their sharp yellow eyes and hooked beak give them an intensely predatory appearance.
Habitat
It lives on cliff faces, tall buildings, bridges, and open country on every continent except Antarctica.
Behaviour
Hunts by stooping at high speed onto prey mid-air; kills with a blow from clenched talons.
Native Range
The peregrine falcon's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics.
Did You Know?
Both the English and scientific names of the species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.
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