Peregrine
Falcon
The Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus - can be found in every continent of the world
excluding Antarctica, with some sub-species
that are resident and with others that are migratory. There are 19 Peregrine
subspecies worldwide, 3 of which are found in North America.
The Arctic
subspecies migrates an incredible distance from its nests on the north slope of
Alaska east across northern Canada to Greenland to winter in Latin America, for a journey over 15,500 miles! The Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus minor - is sparsely and patchily distributed throughout much of
sub-Saharan Africa and widespread in Southern Africa.
It is non-migratory and lives mostly along mountain ranges and increasingly in
cities. The name "peregrine" means wanderer.
Description
The male and female have similar
markings and plumage, but the female is up to 30% larger than the male. The
back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate
grey with indistinct darker barring and the wingtips are black. The white to rusty
underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail,
coloured like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded
at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the
head and a "moustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting
sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow,
as are the feet, and the beak is black. The upper beak is notched near the tip,
an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column
at the neck. The immature bird is much browner with streaked, rather than
barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring. Life span in
the wild is up to 17 years.
Call
Alarm call a loud series of harsh
"kak, kak, kak.", also whining and chopping notes.
Food
They feed almost exclusively on
medium-sized birds such as feral pigeons, wild pigeons, doves and waterfowl.
Powerful and fast-flying, they catch prey in the air with swift, spectacular
dives, called stoops. They often sit on high perches, waiting for the right
opportunity to make their aerial assault. The Peregrine Falcon hunts at dawn
and dusk, when prey is most active, but also nocturnally in cities.
The peregrine falcon is well
known for its mid-air attacking of other birds, in which it will climb to a
great height and dive to grab the other bird with its claws. During these
dives, the bird can reach a speed of 242 miles per hour, making it the fastest
animal on Earth. To help the bird achieve such high speeds, it has developed a
unique respiratory system. Instead of the typical two-way breathing systems
used by most animals, the peregrine falcon has a one-way system that allows it
to breathe continuously while flying. It still inhales oxygen and dispels
carbon dioxide, but the uniqueness is in the flow since the bird's breath
follows a straight path. The species also has unique nostrils, which are shaped
like a cone. This allows it to better control its air intake and the concept
were recently applied to the design of jet aircraft.
Breeding
Peregrine Falcons nest on cliffs,
tall buildings or tall structures. Males select a few possible nest
ledges at the beginning of each season and the female chooses from these. The
birds do no nest building. Breeding season is from late July to early November.
It lays 1 to 4 eggs, which are mainly incubated by the female for between 32 to
36 days, while the male occasionally incubates in the day but is mostly focused
on providing the female with food. The young are fed mainly by the male and
they take first flight at between 42 to 46 days.
Conservation Status – Least concern
In the USA populations crashed in
1950-1970 because of DDT poisoning; eastern population extirpated. It was
declared an Endangered Species, and extensive efforts were made to reestablish
birds in East, beginning with the work of Tom Cade in 1970 at the Cornell Lab
of Ornithology, which eventually developed into the Peregrine Fund. The species
recovered enough to be removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999. Not
threatened globally but Near-threatened in South Africa, probably due to
a combination of persecution in city centres, susceptibility to agrochemicals,
nest site disturbance, deforestation and river impoundment.
Birdwatching
Ask Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures
to create a custom tour for you to see these charismatic raptors, or book on
one of the following scheduled Aves Birding Tours/Safaris/Adventures: -
Aves Eastern Cape Birding
Tour / Safari /Adventure.
Aves Highlands / Tembe Birding Tour / Safari /
Adventure.
Aves Western Cape Birding
Tour / Safari / Adventure.
Aves West Coast Birding Tour /
Safari /Adventure.