Are they endangered?
No, they are not endangered worldwide. (IUCN Red list:
Least concern) They are endangered in some places
though. An example would be in the United States (New
Jersey) where their numbers are decreasing.
What are their
past/present problems?
In the past, DDT, a pesticide that was sprayed to
control mosquitoes. An example of how this hurt the
falcon population follows. The plants in an area are
sprayed with the DDT. The insects that live in the area
eat the plants and are covered with it, too. Birds come
along and eat the insects. Then the Peregrine Falcon
eats the birds. After awhile, the falcon has eaten lots
of DDT birds from their area. The females start to lay
eggs that have thin shells. The shells are so thin that
they break when the birds sit on them.
If this goes on for a long time, the birds get so much
DDT in them from eating their sick prey that they get sick and
die. This means that the number of Peregrine Falcons goes
down until they finally disappear.
What do they look
like?
These birds have blue-gray backs and heads. They have
pointy wings and tails. Their bellies and upper legs
are white with black lines on them. Their
beaks
are
curved.
How big are they?
These birds are about 1 ½ feet long. If they stretched
out their wings, they would be 3 ½ feet wide.
How many eggs do they
lay?
Females lay between 2 and 5 beige eggs once a year. The
eggs hatch in a month.
How long do the
fledglings stay in the nest?
The build nests on mountain or building ledges out of
stuff they find lying around. An example would be grass
and leaves. The young birds leave the nest in about 5-6
weeks
When do they hunt?
They hunt during the day. They hunt in flight. (diurnal)
What do they eat?
They mostly like to eat other birds that they catch while
flying.
Where do they live?
They live everywhere in the world except Antarctica.
What kind of place do
they like to live in?
They like open wetlands, cities, cliffs, tall bridges, and beach
areas.
Interesting facts:
They can fly 175 miles per hour when they are swooping
down to capture prey. That is the speed racecar goes.
They mostly catch their prey while they are flying.
Works Cited:
Alsop,
Fred. Birds of North America. New York: DK Publishing,
2001.
De Volder, Linda. “Re: Picture Donation.” [sitting
Peregrine] E-Mail to Club Web. 8 Feb. 2008.
