Falco peregrinus
The Peregrine Falcon's awesome speed and superior hunting skills were little defense against the chemical DDT from the 1940s to 1970s. Although banned in North America in 1972, DDT had so ravaged the Peregrine's population that the birds have yet to recover their former abundance. Despite intensive management in both the U.S. and Canada, southern populations of these birds have been painfully slow to recover. Wildlife managers erect open nest boxes and release captive-bred birds in hopes of boosting the wild population. Peregrines now nest within the city limits of many urban centers. The scientific name peregrinus is Latin for 'wandering,' reflecting this species' once-great range over much of the globe. |
I.D.: Sexes similar. Adult: blue-gray back; dark, broad mustache; dark hood; light underparts with dark spots. Immature: similar patterning as an adult, but brown where the adult is blue-gray; heavier breast streaks. In flight: pointed wings; long, narrow, dark-banded tail. Size: Male: L 15-17 in. (38-43 cm); W 37-43 in. (94-109 cm). Female: L 17-19 in. (43-48 cm); W 43-46 in. (109-117 cm). Range: rare year-round in the southern U.S. Rockies; rare migrant and summer resident in the Canadian and northern U.S. Rockies; reintroduced at various locations just outside the Rockies in Canada and the U.S. Habitat: lakeshores, river valleys, alpine meadows, rivermouths and open fields; open areas during migration. Nesting: usually on rocky cliffs or cutbanks; no material is added, but the nest is littered with prey remains, leaves and grass; nest sites are traditionally reused; female (mainly) incubates the 3 or 4 eggs for 32-34 days. Feeding: high-speed, diving swoops; strikes birds in mid-air and guides them to a perch for consumption; pigeons, waterfowl, grebes, shorebirds, jays, flickers, swallows, ptarmigan and larger songbirds are the primary prey. Voice: loud, harsh, continuous cack-cack-cack-cack-cack near nest site. Similar Species: Prairie Falcon: dark 'wing pits'; lacks the dark hood. Gyrfalcon: seen only in winter in the Rockies; lacks the dark hood. Merlin: lacks the broad mustache stripe; smaller. |
