🦅 Peregrine falcon vs Red-tailed hawk 🦅
The red-tailed hawk is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon. They are about the same.
Getting the animals ready…
| Row | 🦅 Peregrine falcon | 🦅 Red-tailed hawk |
|---|---|---|
| Size The red-tailed hawk is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon. | 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm1 | 19 to 26 in48 to 65 cm2 |
| Top speed We don't have a checked number for the red-tailed hawk yet. | 200 mph322 km/h3 | no checked number yet |
| Weight They are about the same. | 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg1 | 1.8 to 2.7 lb800 g to 1.2 kg2 |
| Lives They are about the same. | 20 years20 years1 | 22 years22 years2 |
| Eats Both eat meat. | other birds, such as pigeons and ducks | mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds |
| Lives in They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet. | every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings | open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America |
Which one? Peregrine falcon or red-tailed hawk
🏁 Who would win the race?
We don't have a checked top speed for the red-tailed hawk yet, so there is no race.
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 Peregrine falcon vs Red-tailed hawk
- The peregrine falcon: The fastest animal in the world when it dives from the sky.
- The red-tailed hawk: A common hawk that watches for small animals from high perches.
- They are the same kind of animal: both are birds.
- The red-tailed hawk is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon: 2 against 1.
- They are about the same. That is 1 for the peregrine falcon and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the peregrine falcon and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
- Both eat meat. The peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks; the red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
- The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
- The peregrine falcon: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 4
- The red-tailed hawk: doing fine (Least Concern on the IUCN Red List). 5
Wow facts
🦅 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.
🦅 Red-tailed hawk
- A red-tailed hawk watches for food from a high perch.
- Most of its food is small rodents.
- It lives in parks and farm fields as well as grassland.
Questions kids ask about Peregrine falcon and Red-tailed hawk
Which is bigger, peregrine falcon or red-tailed hawk?
The red-tailed hawk is a bit bigger than the peregrine falcon: 2 against 1.
Which is heavier, peregrine falcon or red-tailed hawk?
They are about the same. That is 1 for the peregrine falcon and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
Which lives longer, peregrine falcon or red-tailed hawk?
They are about the same. Usual lifespans: 1 for the peregrine falcon and 2 for the red-tailed hawk.
What do peregrine falcon and red-tailed hawk eat?
Both eat meat. The peregrine falcon eats other birds, such as pigeons and ducks; the red-tailed hawk eats mostly small rodents, and sometimes rabbits, reptiles and other birds.
Where do peregrine falcon and red-tailed hawk live?
The peregrine falcon lives in every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings. The red-tailed hawk lives in open country with high perches, such as grassland, farm fields, parks and woodland edges, across North and Central America. They live in different kinds of places, so they would hardly ever meet.
Who would win, peregrine falcon or red-tailed hawk?
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/peregrine-falcon-vs-red-tailed-hawk
Where these numbers come from
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- University of Michigan Museum of Zoology, Animal Diversity Web: Buteo jamaicensis (red-tailed hawk), checked 10 November 2026.
- National Park Service, Denali and Yukon-Charley Rivers, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 10 November 2026.