🐍 Black mamba vs Peregrine falcon 🦅
The black mamba is about 5 times as long as the peregrine falcon. The peregrine falcon is about 15 times as fast as the black mamba.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🐍 Black mamba | 🦅 Peregrine falcon |
|---|---|---|
| Size The black mamba is about 5 times as long as the peregrine falcon. | 7.2 to 8.9 ft2.2 to 2.7 m1 | 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm2 |
| Top speed The peregrine falcon is about 15 times as fast as the black mamba. | 12 mph20 km/h1 | 200 mph322 km/h3 |
| Weight We don't have a checked number for the black mamba yet. | no checked number yet | 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Lives The peregrine falcon usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. | 11 years11 years1 | 20 years20 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds | other birds, such as pigeons and ducks |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa | every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings |
Which one? Black mamba or peregrine falcon
🏁 Who would win the race?
The peregrine falcon gets to the tree first. Over a short dash it is about 15 times as fast as the black mamba. It isn't quite fair: the black mamba is crawling and the peregrine falcon is diving through the air.
We only race. Real animals mostly avoid each other. A race is the only fair contest: who reaches the tree first, by top speed. Our face-off books compare real numbers, and nobody gets hurt.
10 things to know about Black mamba vs Peregrine falcon
- The black mamba: A very long, quick snake of the African savanna.
- The peregrine falcon: The fastest animal in the world when it dives from the sky.
- They are different kinds of animal. The black mamba is a reptile, so it has scaly skin; the peregrine falcon is a bird, so it has feathers and lays eggs.
- The black mamba is about 5 times as long as the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
- The peregrine falcon is about 15 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 1 for the black mamba and 3 for the peregrine falcon.
- The peregrine falcon usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
- Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
- The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The black mamba: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The peregrine falcon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🐍 Black mamba
- A black mamba can move quickly across the ground.
- It hides among rocks and fallen trees.
- It eats mostly small mammals.
🦅 Peregrine falcon
- Its dive is called a stoop.
- A clear extra eyelid wipes its eyes clean as it dives.
- Peregrines nest on skyscraper ledges, which look like cliffs to them.
Questions kids ask about Black mamba and Peregrine falcon
Which is bigger, black mamba or peregrine falcon?
The black mamba is about 5 times as long as the peregrine falcon: 1 against 2.
Which is heavier, black mamba or peregrine falcon?
We only have a checked weight for the peregrine falcon: 2. Scientists are still working out the other.
Which is faster, black mamba or peregrine falcon?
The peregrine falcon is about 15 times as fast as the black mamba. Top speeds: 1 for the black mamba and 3 for the peregrine falcon.
Which lives longer, black mamba or peregrine falcon?
The peregrine falcon usually lives about twice as long as the black mamba. Usual lifespans: 1 for the black mamba and 2 for the peregrine falcon.
What do black mamba and peregrine falcon eat?
Both eat meat. The black mamba eats small mammals such as rodents, squirrels and hyraxes, and sometimes birds; the peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks.
Where do black mamba and peregrine falcon live?
The black mamba lives in wooded savanna, rocky hills and river forests in south and east Africa. The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, black mamba or peregrine falcon?
We never show fights, because a fight is not a fair way to compare animals. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. What we can compare is how big, how heavy, how fast, how long they live and what they eat, as above.
📤 Share this pair
The link carries only the two animals’ names: peabody.kids/animals/compare/black-mamba-vs-peregrine-falcon
Where these numbers come from
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Dendroaspis polylepis (black mamba), checked 10 November 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali and Yukon-Charley Rivers, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.