Peregrine falcon Facts for Kids
Falco peregrinus · FAL-koh pair-eh-GRY-nus
The fastest animal in the world when it dives from the sky.
- 🏃 200 mph322 km/h1
- ⚖️ 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg2
- 📏 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm2 long
- 🎂 20 years20 years2
- 🍽️ meat
- Doing fine (Least Concern)
The peregrine falcon is a bird that hunts in the sky. When it dives, it is the fastest animal of all. It nests on cliffs and on tall city buildings.
A peregrine falcon folds its wings and dives down on other birds, such as pigeons, in a move called a stoop. No other animal falls through the air so fast. It nests on high cliff ledges, and in cities it nests on tall buildings and bridges.
Peregrine falcons live on every continent except Antarctica, and their name comes from a Latin word for wanderer. During a dive, little bumps inside the nostrils may help the falcon breathe in the rushing air, and a clear extra eyelid sweeps across each eye to keep it clean. Peregrines nearly disappeared from many places because of a pesticide called DDT. After it was banned and nest sites were protected, they came back, and today some raise chicks on city skyscrapers.
How big is a peregrine falcon?
Peregrine falcon in numbers
| Length | 14 to 23 in36 to 58 cm2total length |
|---|---|
| Height at the shoulder | no checked number yet |
| Weight | 1.1 to 3.1 lb500 g to 1.4 kg2 |
| Top speed (diving) | 200 mph322 km/h1diving |
| How long it lives | 20 years20 years2up to |
| What it eats | other birds, such as pigeons and ducks |
| Where it lives | every continent except Antarctica, on cliffs, coasts and tall city buildings |
| What kind | Birds |
| Is it in danger? | Doing fine (Least Concern)3 |
A number we couldn’t find on a page we trust says so, instead of guessing.
Wow!
- 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.
Compare the peregrine falcon
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Ruby-throated hummingbirdThree questions
Books about the peregrine falcon, free at the library
Ask a grown-up to tap the button: it shows where to borrow a book about the peregrine falcon for free.
Where these numbers come from
- National Park Service, Denali and Yukon-Charley Rivers, checked 30 October 2026.
- USDA Forest Service, Fire Effects Information System, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, from the IUCN Red List, checked 30 October 2026.
- Wikidata, Peregrine falcon (Q30535), checked 30 October 2026.