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Peregrine Falcon

Peregrine Falcon (Courtesy NEBRASKAland Magazine/NGPC)

The story of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a tale of success, fame, and much publicity.

Peregrine in Latin is peregrinus, which means traveler or wanderer. Peregrine Falcons are well known for their long fall and spring migration flights to and from their nesting places and wintering habitats.

The Arctic Peregrine Falcon lives up to its name, breeding from Alaska's north slope eastward to Greenland in summer, and migrating as far south as the tip of South America in winter. Some of the birds migrate a little over 15,534 miles (25,000 km) annually.

Range
There are three subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon that occur in North America:

• The Arctic Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus tundrius) nests on the north slope of Alaska east across northern Canada to Greenland, and winters in Latin America.
• The Peale's Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus pealei) is a year-round resident on the coasts of Washington, British Columbia, and Alaska north to the Aleutian Islands.
• The American Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) nests in southern Alaska, Canada, the "lower 48" United States, and northern Mexico.

Description
The Peregrine Falcon belongs to the genus Falco, which is characterized by long pointed wings.

The word Falco comes from falx, the Latin word for sickle (a curved blade used for harvesting) -- referring to the distinct sickle-shaped silhouette of the Peregrine Falcon's extended wings in flight.

The Peregrine Falcon uses its notched beak to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. The notched beak is unique to this species.

The Peregrine Falcon is crow-sized and weighs just over two pounds. Its wing span is about three feet. Females are generally 15 to 20 percent larger than males and can weigh 40 to 50 percent more than males.

Apart from their size, male and female Peregrine Falcons are identical in appearance. Immature peregrines are buff-colored in front and have dark brown backs. Adults are white or buff in front and bluish grey on their backs.

Adults have bluish grey upper parts, and whitish or buffy under parts with black spotting or barring. They also have a blackish malar stripe or mustache, usually set off by pale buff-colored cheeks.