Peregrine Falcon Facts

The peregrine falcon is famous for its incredible speed.

The peregrine falcon is a crow-sized bird of prey.

Peregrine falcons live almost everywhere except some remote places.

Falcons nest on cliff edges or tall human-made structures.

Males weigh from 330 to 1,000 grams.

Females are up to 30 percent larger than males in size.

Adults have blue-grey backs and barred white underparts.

The black head features a distinctive malar stripe below the eyes.

The malar stripe helps improve vision by reducing glare.

Peregrines mainly hunt medium-sized birds like feral pigeons.

Feral pigeons support many urban peregrine populations as food.

Peregrines reach sexual maturity at one year and mate for life.

Populations bounced back after DDT bans and protection started.

Peregrine falcons are prized falconry birds for hunting skills.

The name peregrine means wandering falcon, reflecting migration.