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Peregrine falcon

 
Peregrine falcon,  «PEHR uh grihn», is a bird of prey that can travel faster than any other animal. It makes stoops (steep dives) that may exceed 200 miles (320 kilometers) per hour. Peregrines, sometimes called duck hawks, are also among the most widely distributed birds. They live on every continent except Antarctica.

Peregrine falcons grow about 15 to 20 inches (38 to 50 centimeters) long. Females are about a third larger than males. Peregrines vary in color from brownish when young to dark blue or bluish-gray when mature. The bird's underside is lighter in color, and dark markings occur all over the body. A black, helmetlike crown of feathers covers the male peregrine's head and neck.

Peregrines prefer to nest on high cliffs or even ledges of skyscrapers. The females usually lay three or four eggs each year.

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Peregrine falcon chick receives a meal

Peregrines chiefly eat live birds. They swoop down on their prey from great heights and knock it from the sky. Peregrines may hunt birds as large as geese, but they prefer smaller prey, such as pigeons and ducks.

People have used peregrines as hunting birds for centuries. In the late 1940's and the 1950's, the peregrine population declined dramatically due to harmful pesticides. These pesticides caused thinning of peregrine egg shells, which killed the young before they hatched. By 1960, peregrines had vanished from most of North America. But beginning in the 1970's, pesticide restrictions and other measures led to the birds' gradual recovery.

The peregrine falcon belongs to the falcon family, Falconidae. It is Falco peregrinus.