Scientific Name:   Falco peregrinus

Length:   14.2-19.3 in (36-49 cm)

Weight:   18.7-56.4 oz (530-1600 g)

Wingspan:   39.4-43.3 in (100-110 cm)

Nest:   The birds do no nest building beyond a ritualized scraping of the nest ledge to create a depression in the sand, gravel or other substrate of the nest site. Scrapes are about 9 inches in diameter and 2 inches deep. Some sites may be used for many years.

Eggs:   3-4, sometimes 2-5, rarely 6. Whitish to pale reddish-brown, heavily marked with warm brown. Incubation is mostly by female, 32-35 days. Male brings food for female during incubation.

Feeding Behavior:   It typically feeds on medium-sized birds such as pigeons and doves, waterfowl, gamebirds, songbirds, parrots, seabirds, and waders. They catch medium-sized birds in the air with swift, spectacular dives, called stoops. They often sit on high perches, waiting for the right opportunity to make their aerial assault.

Young:   Female stays with young at first, while male brings food for her and for young; later, female hunts also. Age of young at first flight 39-49 days.

Range:   The peregrine falcon lives mostly along mountain ranges, river valleys, coastlines, and increasingly in cities. In mild-winter regions, it is usually a permanent resident, and some individuals, especially adult males, will remain on the breeding territory. Northern breeders are long-distance migrants, many going to South America.

Brief Description:   The back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring and 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 "moustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat.