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SPECIES PROFILE

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)

Falco

IUCN STATUS

Least Concern

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) — Cosmopolitan; found on every continent except Antarctica; in the US widespread from Alaska to Florida

CONSERVATION STATUS

Least Concern

CLASS

Aves

GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE

Cosmopolitan; found on every continent except Antarctica; in the US widespread from Alaska to Florida

DIET

Carnivore

HABITAT

Originally cliff faces and coastal areas; now also urban buildings which mimic cliff habitat; forages in open airspace over any terrain

🔬 Classification

PHYLUM

Chordata

CLASS

Aves

ORDER

Falconiformes

FAMILY

Falconidae

GENUS

Falco

📋 Description

SIZE

Body 36–58 cm; wingspan 74–120 cm; females larger than males at 700–1,500 g

COLORATION

Slate-blue to dark grey above; pale barred underparts; dark "moustache" mark on white cheek; yellow cere and eye ring

ADAPTATIONS

Aerodynamic body shape; stiff feathers for high-speed stoops; third eyelid (nictitating membrane) protects eyes at speed; notched beak for breaking prey's neck

🌿 Ecology

HABITAT

Originally cliff faces and coastal areas; now also urban buildings which mimic cliff habitat; forages in open airspace over any terrain

DIET

Carnivore

GEOGRAPHIC RANGE

Cosmopolitan; found on every continent except Antarctica; in the US widespread from Alaska to Florida

REPRODUCTION

Monogamous pair; 3–4 eggs in a scrape on a cliff ledge or building; both parents incubate for 33 days; aggressively defends nest

DIET DETAILS

Mid-sized birds (pigeons, shorebirds, ducks, starlings) struck in mid-air during spectacular high-speed stoops; pigeons are the mainstay of urban populations

⚠️ Threats & Conservation

PRIMARY THREATS

DDT caused near-extinction in the eastern US by the 1960s; now recovered through captive breeding and pesticide bans; secondary poisoning from rodenticides remains a concern

💡 Interesting Facts

1

The Peregrine Falcon is the fastest animal on Earth — its high-speed hunting stoop (dive) reaches over 320 km/h, making it faster than a Formula 1 car.

2

After nearly vanishing from eastern North America due to DDT-induced eggshell thinning, the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the Endangered list in 1999 following one of the most successful recovery programmes in US conservation history.

🔭 Sighting Guide

📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT

Cape May Point, NJ, is the premier hawk migration watch site in the eastern US with thousands of Peregrines counted in October

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary near Kempton, PA, counts Peregrine Falcons during the autumn hawk migration

Acadia National Park near Bar Harbor, ME, has Peregrine Falcons nesting on sea cliffs and Cadillac Mountain

🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT

September and October at Cape May Point, NJ, and Hawk Mountain, PA, for migration; summer cliff nesting at Acadia National Park, ME.

🎯 SIGHTING TIPS

Year-round in cities; migration peaks at hawk-watch sites in September to October; cliff nesting pairs visible April to July.