![]() and Sargatal, J., Handbook of Birds of the World: New World Vultures to Guineafowl, 2, Barcelona: Lynx Edicions, pp. (1994), “Family Falconidae”, in del Hoyo, J., Elliot, A. Fish and Wildlife Service (1999), All about the Peregrine falcon,, retrieved on 13 August 2007 *White, C.M. (1950), “i rock birds of North and Middle America”, U.S. (1995), Birds of Britain and Europe (5 ed.), London: HarperCollins, *Friedmann, H. References: *BirdLife International (2004), Falco peregrinus: 2007 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species,, retrieved on *Heinzel, H. Endangered Species list on August 25, 1999. The Peregrine Falcon was removed from the U.S. The widespread restriction of DDT use eventually allowed released birds to breed successfully. Worldwide captivity breeding and wild release recovery efforts have been remarkably successful. The organochlorine build-up in the falcon’s fat tissues would result in less calcium in the eggshells, leading to flimsier, more fragile eggs. ![]() Pesticide biomagnification interfered with reproduction, thinning eggshells and reducing the number of eggs that survived to hatching. The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species because of the use of pesticides, especially DDT during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. They are incubated for 29 to 33 days, mainly by the female. Mostly three to four eggs are laid generally from February to March. The pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. ![]() The Peregrine Falcon nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, today regularly in many parts of its range, on tall buildings or bridges. Mortality in the first year is between 59–70%. The life span in the wild is up to 15.5 years. In mild-winter regions, it is usually a permanent resident. The Peregrine Falcon lives mostly along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities. This makes it the world’s most widespread bird of prey. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, excepting extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. Other than bats taken at night, it rarely hunts small mammals, but will on rare occasion take rats, voles, hares, mice and squirrels. The Peregrine Falcon feeds almost exclusively on medium sized birds such as doves, waterfowl, songbirds and pigeons. Prey is struck and captured in mid-air the Peregrine Falcon strikes its prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it, then turns to catch it in mid-air The Peregrine will drop it to the ground and eat it there if it is too heavy to carry. To protect their eyes, the falcons use their nictitating membranes (third eyelids) to spread tears and clear debris from their eyes while maintaining vision. The air pressure from a 200 mph (320 km/h) dive could possibly damage a bird’s lungs, but small bony tubercles in a falcon’s nostrils, called baffles, guide the shock waves of the air entering the nostrils, enabling the bird to breathe more easily while diving by reducing the change in air pressure. The Peregrine Falcon is often stated to be the fastest animal on the planet in its hunting dive, the stoop, which involves soaring to a great height and then diving steeply at speeds commonly said to be over 322 km/h (200 mph), and hitting one wing of its prey so as not to harm itself on impact. Males weigh 440–750 g, and the noticeably larger females weigh 910–1500 g. The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the Peregrine Falcon displays marked reverse sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30 percent larger than the male. The Peregrine Falcon has a body length of 34–50 cm (13–20 in) and a wingspan of around 80–120 cm (31–47 in). The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. It is a large, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae.
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