Peregrine Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon is one of the most widely distributed raptors in the world, found from Arctic tundra to tropical coastlines, and increasingly in cities where tall buildings substitute for its ancestral cliff ledges. It is renowned for its speed, delivering some of the fastest recorded dives of any bird while pursuing prey in flight.

Back and crown feathers are a dark slate-blue-gray, and a bold black malar stripe stands out sharply against the pale cheek, one of the species' most recognizable features. Underparts are finely barred blackish on a white or buff background, evenly patterned across the belly and flanks. Wings are long and pointed with a tapered tail, the classic fast-flight falcon silhouette, and primaries show clean, evenly spaced dark barring along their length.

Adults are blue-gray above with barred white to buff underparts and a bold dark head pattern including the malar stripe. Juveniles are notably browner above and show longitudinal streaking rather than barring on the underparts, gradually molting into the barred adult pattern over their first year or two. Subspecies vary somewhat in overall tone and the extent of barring across the very wide global range.

Peregrine Falcons nest on cliffs, coastal bluffs, and increasingly on tall buildings and bridges in cities, and forage over a very wide range of open habitats including coastlines, wetlands, and urban areas nearly worldwide, absent mainly from extreme polar regions. Many northern populations are long-distance migrants, while others, particularly in temperate and urban settings, are resident year-round.

It hunts primarily other birds in flight, using a high-speed diving stoop to strike prey in midair. Nests are simple scrapes on ledges, cliffs, or tall structures, and the species gives sharp, repeated calls near the nest site, especially when defending territory from intruders.