26-6-2025 GREAT SPIRIT BLUFFS, USA - NORTH AMERICAN PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus ssp. anatum)

The Peregrine Falcon, known scientifically as Falco peregrinus, is a large falcon roughly the size of a crow. It boasts a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a distinct black head. This raptor is celebrated for its incredible speed, often exceeding 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop, making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. The highest recorded speed for a Peregrine Falcon is an astonishing 389 km/h (242 mph).

Adult Peregrine Falcons have a blue-black to slate grey back with indistinct darker barring. Their underparts are white to rusty, barred with thin, clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail is similarly colored but with thin, clean bars. A notable feature is the black "moustache" that sharply contrasts with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere and feet are yellow, while the beak and claws are black. Juveniles are browner with streaked underparts and a pale bluish cere.

Peregrine Falcons are found along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in urban settings, where they utilize tall buildings as nesting sites.

The Peregrine Falcon's breeding range is extensive, spanning from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It is nearly ubiquitous across the globe, save for extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests.

Peregrine Falcons are known for their high-speed hunting stoops. They are territorial during the breeding season, with nesting pairs spaced widely apart. They are adaptable and can thrive in urban environments, taking advantage of the abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks.

The Peregrine Falcon's vocalizations include a series of loud, sharp "kek-kek-kek" calls, particularly during nesting or when intruders approach the nest.

Peregrine Falcons reach sexual maturity between one and three years of age and mate for life. They nest in a scrape, usually on cliff edges or, in urban areas, on tall structures. They lay a clutch of three to four eggs, which are incubated for about a month.

The Peregrine Falcon can be confused with other falcon species, but its size, distinctive stoop, and plumage patterns are usually distinguishing features.

The diet of the Peregrine Falcon consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, but it may also hunt small mammals, reptiles, or insects. Urban Peregrines often feed on pigeons and other city birds.

The Peregrine Falcon was once endangered due to pesticide use but has recovered remarkably well following the ban on DDT and concerted conservation efforts. It is currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN.

7-6-2024 GREAT SPIRIT BLUFF CAM, DAKOTA USA - PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus ssp. anatum)

The Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a large cosmopolitan raptor in the family Falconidae. It is renowned for its speed during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a Peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). This is a well-respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species, from small to large. It has also been used as a religious, royal, or national symbol across multiple eras and areas of human civilization.

The male and female of this species have similar markings and plumage but, as with many birds of prey, the female measures up to 30% larger than the male. The back and the long pointed wings of the adult Peregrine falcon are usually bluish-black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring; the wingtips are black. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail colored like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "mustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation that enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. An immature Peregrine falcon is much browner, with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring. 

16-4-2021 GREAT SPIRIT BLUFF CAM, MINNESOTA - NORTH AMERICAN PEREGRINE FALCON (Falco peregrinus ssp. anatum)

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed. It can reach over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.

The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except 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. This makes it the world's most widespread raptorand one of the most widely found bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area is not always naturally occurring, but one widely introduced by humans, the rock pigeon, which in turn now supports many peregrine populations as a prey species.

The peregrine is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; disagreement exists over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon is represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus or is a separate species, F. pelegrinoides. The two species' divergence is relatively recent, during the time of the last ice age, therefore the genetic differential between them (and also the difference in their appearance) is relatively tiny. They are only about 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated.