How Do Peregrine Falcons Work?

of two hundred and forty two miles an hour. That's three hundred and eighty nine kilometers an hour, and with that speedy swoop broke a Guinness World record for the fastest dive by a bird, furthermore, making the peregrine falcon one of the world's fastest animals. Period Referred to as global birds, the peagrine falcon can be spotted on every continent except Antarctica, traveling long distances between their wintery and

breeding grounds. Their taxonomical name is Falco peregrinus. Peregrinas means traveler in Latin. They're also unofficially known as the great footed hawk, the ledge hawk, stonehawk, rock hawk, bullet hawk, and wandering falcon. A North American peregrine falcons can be migratory or non migratory, with some residing year round in Alaska, the Southwest, Midwest, and northeast, while others migrate annually from South America and the Gulf Coast to the Alaskan tundra.

Before the article, this episode is based on Hastuff Works spoke by email with Rick Schwortz, a San Diego Zoo Global Ambassador. He explained they prefer wide open spaces and do well near coasts where shore birds are common, but can be found from the tundra to deserts to forests. They are strong, efficient flyers and skilled at catching a variety of prey. This versatility allows them to live in almost any type of climate and habitat. Basically, they can

live wherever they can find food. A peregrine falcons are some of the largest falcons in North America, weighing up to three and a half pounds or about one and a half kilos, with a wingspan of up to forty eight inches and a body length of up to twenty inches. That's about one hundred and twenty by fifty centimeters. They have long, pointed wings and a long tail. A Schwartz said.

Adults are blue gray above, with their underside having alternate bands of colors, and a dark head with thick sideburns. They have sharp yellow talons to catch their prey, and as with most raptors, males are smaller than females. A pearagrine falcons use those talons and incredible eye sight to capture other birds even while in flight. They eat mostly other birds, with about four hundred and fifty North American species having been documented as prey by the National Wildlife Federation.

Among them are birds as large as sand hill cranes and as small as hummingbirds, as well as shorebirds, ducks, gulls, pigeons, and songbirds. They also eat bats, and they often swipe fish and rodents from other raptors. A Schwartz said, a hunting peregrine typically catches its prey in the air with fast pursuits, rapid dives, and other impressive aerial maneuvers for

which these falcons are known and admired. Peregrine falcons will sometimes dismember their prey and eat it in flight, or they will land with their prey in a safe spot, pluck the feathers and eat. They also have a sharp tooth at the end of their beat that they can use to sever their prey's neck. They're near the top of the food chain, meaning they have very few predators except for other large birds of prey like the great

horned owl. Their speed certainly helps with this, and their teardrop shaped body is one of the most aero dynamic designs known in nature. In fact, it's been studied and copied by airplane manufacturers for decades. A housetuff Work also spoke by an email with Nicole Ellis, a pet expert and certified trainer. As she said, they are rocketing down from the sky is like a blur. The force from the air traveling at such a speed would explode the

bird's lungs, but baffles in the nose prevent this. Just another feature that's been studied and used in jet engines. Sophisticated membranes in the bird's eyes prevent them from drying out so the predator can remain fixed on the target. Although these birds aren't necessarily homebodies, they are devoted partners. Schwartz said they mate for life and return to the same nesting spot each year. When looking for a mate, male peregrine falcons have to work hard to impress the

females and to keep her attention. Males bring females food during the courting and nesting season. She frequently takes the prey from him while they are both in flight, by turning upside down in mid air and grabbing the food out of his talons. The peregrine falcon is considered one of the world's most common birds of prey. Schwartz explained in the mid nineteen hundreds, pesticides had a devastating effect on many bird species in North America, including peregrine falcons,

and their numbers dwindled. Today, thanks to the work of the Paragrine Fund and many other organizations, the paragrine is listed as a species of Least Concern. However, these birds are best appreciated out in nature. A note that it's illegal to own any bird of prey in the United States, the only exceptions being licensed falconers in all states except

Hawaii and the District of Columbia. As Schwartz said, acquiring a falcon re license in the US requires passing a state written test, having equipment and facilities inspected, and serving a minimum of two years as an apprentice under a licensed Falconer, during which time the apprentice falconer may only possess one raptor. Today's episode is based on the article The Fast and Furious Peregrine falcon is a midair hunting machine on how stuffworks dot Com written by Wendy Bowman.

Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the Airheartradio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.