Peregrine Falcon - Falco peregrinus

The Peregrine Falcon takes its name from the Latin peregrinus (foreigner, stranger) and peregrinor (to travel abroad). It is a large falcon renowned for its speed. It swoops down on its prey like lightning and kills it in mid-flight. It can reach speeds of 300 km/hr. It is found almost everywhere in the world. The Peregrine Falcon breeds on cliff ledges and pairs come back to the same place year after year. During recent years, it has begun to nest on the tops of high-rise buildings in urban areas.

First chick hatched at Le Rocher des Aigles: 10 April, 1989

CLASS : Aves
ORDER : Falconiformes
FAMILY : Falconidae
WINGSPAN : 1.1 m
WEIGHT : 550 - 1500 g
CLUTCH SIZE : 3 eggs
INCUBATION : 29-32 days
LIFE EXPECTANCY : 16 years
DIET : primarily birds, occasionally small mammals, reptiles and insects
NATURAL HABITAT : it nests on cliffs, in towns on high-rise buildings (towers, church towers, etc.) as well as in trees, especially in East Germany.
RANGE : Every continent apart from Antarctica

Conservation status info

 

LC : Least Concern

Historically, the species experienced persecution throughout its entire range in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Severe declines were recorded in the 1960s and 1970s (hunting, destruction of nests, hydrocarbon and pesticide contamination). The population is currently stable.