A peregrine falcon hunts by diving down from high above. Reports say a peregrine falcon diving after prey can reach more than 200 miles an hour. It eats mostly other birds. It has very sharp eyesight. It also has strong, sharp talons on its feet. Let's look at this bird more closely, and see how it lives.
How big is a peregrine falcon? It weighs at most about 1.5 kilograms, or 3.5 pounds. Its wings spread about 3.5 feet from tip to tip. That is about one meter. Female falcons are bigger than males. So when you see a pair, the female is the bigger bird of the two.
Peregrine falcons live on every continent except Antarctica. They like open country. That is a lot of places to look for one. A peregrine falcon nests on high cliffs. Let's see where else it lives.
Peregrine falcons also live in cities. They nest on ledges of tall buildings, and they use bridges too. In cities, peregrine falcons eat pigeons. Cliffs and tall buildings are both high places where a falcon can nest.
Peregrine falcons were once in trouble. In the middle of the 1900s, the pesticide DDT made peregrine falcon eggshells thin. The eggs broke while the parents sat on them. The United States banned the use of DDT in 1972. Let's see how a peregrine falcon nests, and how it raises its young.
A peregrine falcon does not build a nest. It lays its eggs in a scrape, a small dip in the soil or gravel of a ledge. It lays two to five eggs at a time. A male peregrine falcon brings food to the female and to the young at the nest. Young falcons are ready to fly about five to six weeks after they hatch.
Words to know
- pesticide: bug killer
- scrape: small dip
- talons: bird claws
- continent: huge land area
- hatch: come out
The short version
A peregrine falcon is a bird that hunts by diving down from high above. It eats mostly other birds. It lives on every continent except Antarctica, and in cities it nests on ledges of tall buildings. It has very sharp eyesight.
Quick facts
- A peregrine falcon weighs at most about 1.5 kilograms (3.5 pounds).
- Its wings spread about 3.5 feet (one meter) from tip to tip.
- Female peregrine falcons are bigger than males.
- A peregrine falcon lays two to five eggs at a time.
- The United States banned the use of DDT in 1972.
How fast can a peregrine falcon dive?
Reports say a peregrine falcon diving after prey can reach more than 200 miles an hour. A peregrine falcon hunts by diving down from high above, and it eats mostly other birds.
Where do peregrine falcons nest?
Peregrine falcons nest on high cliffs, and in cities they use tall buildings and bridges. A peregrine falcon does not build a nest. It lays its eggs in a scrape, a small dip in the soil or gravel of a ledge.
