Peregrine Falcons

This is my report on the infamous Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus): the fastest animal on the planet! 

Peregrine falcons are well known for their speed. Being the fastest animal on the planet, in a stoop (a stoop is a hunting dive) they can reach speeds over 240 MPH! That’s so fast, that it would take about a minute and a half to dive all the way down Mt. Everest at top speed! But that’s not all, because you’re going to learn a lot more about these amazing birds!

Peregrines are also apex predators, meaning they are at the top of their food chain and are not usually preyed on, unless raptors (eagles, falcons, owls, etc) like the great horned owl eat their young. The average lifespan of a peregrine falcon in the wild is typically 6-15 years, though some can live much longer. In captivity, they can live up to 25 years. A significant number of juveniles (60%) do not survive their first year. However, if they make it past their first year, their survival rate increases. The oldest peregrine was 19¾ years old! No matter how old they are, they’re still amazing creatures! 

The peregrine diet is probably different from what you would think. Peregrines will usually eat medium-sized birds, like pigeons, ducks, and even gulls. One little-known fact is that birds of prey (birds of prey are birds that hunt) will get most of their water from the meat that they eat, so they won’t usually drink water but they get a lot of it from the food that they eat. A peregrine’s diet is much different from other birds.

Another interesting fact about peregrines is that they are found on every continent except for Antarctica. They inhabit a lot of places, like coastlines and cliffs, for nesting. Peregrines have adapted so much that sometimes you can even see them in places with skyscrapers in place of cliffs. One example is New York City (NYC). NYC is my example because peregrines are actually quite common in NYC. NYC is home to the largest urban peregrine population in the world! Peregrines are amazing at adapting!

Peregrines were (and still are) used in an old sport called falconry. Falconry has many uses, and one of them is hunting. Falconry is a form of hunting (and can be a competitive sport) that uses raptors (eagles, falcons, owls, etc) for hunting. The way raptors are used in falconry is very interesting. Raptors are trained to hunt just like a dog can, and can be used in falconry competitions and aerial hunting rather than using a gun or a bow and arrow. Falconry is pretty cool!

Peregrines were also put on the endangered species list in 1970, but luckily, in 1999, the Peregrines were removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List at an international celebration at the World Center for Birds of Prey. After the peregrines were put on the U.S. Endangered Species List, an aggressive recovery program began in 1974 and resulted in over 6,000 peregrines being reintroduced to the wild. Today, this recovery is still one of the most successful conservation efforts in history. 

                                     That’s it for my report on peregrines.

                    I think the peregrine falcon is amazing, and I hope you do too!