Peregrine Falcon

Images ©:
©Bob Winters

Falco peregrinus

Large falcon, up to 45 cm. It is powerfully built. Black hood. Blue-black underparts. Creamy white chin, throat and underparts, which are finely barred from the breast to the tail. Long tapered wings have a straight trailing edge in flight. Tail is relatively short. Eye ring yellow. Heavy bill, yellow and black tipped.

Details
Type
Bird
Group
Animals
Raptor
Biology

Breeding season: August to December. Clutch size two to four. They mate for life and maintain a home range of about 20-30 km square throughout the year. Pairs may hunt co-operatively, with one member, usually the male, scattering a flock of birds while the other swoops down to attack a particular individual. This co-operative behaviour is most often observed during the breeding season. Rather than building a nest, it lays its eggs in recesses of cliff faces, tree hollows or in the large abandoned nests of other birds. The female incubates the eggs, and the male hunts.
Distinctive Markings

Lacks a full black hood. Different flight silhouette to the Australian Hobby, with a curved trailing wing-edge.
Taxonomy
Phylum
Chordata
Class
Aves
Order
Falconiformes
Family
Falconidae
Genus
Falco
Species
peregrinus

Source: Atlas of Living Australia

The Peregrine Falcon is one of the fastest birds of prey, swooping down at speeds of up to 300 km/h.

Interesting Facts
Diet

Carnivore. Feeds on small to medium-sized birds, rabbits and other mammals. It swoops down on its prey from above, catching or stunning it with its powerfully hooked talons, before grasping and carrying it off to a perch to pluck and eat it.
Habitat

Found in open grasslands, wooded areas and tall structures in urban areas.
Native Status
Native to Australia
Audio
Sounds
Loud, shrill, repeated "hek-ek-ek", with females lower-pitched than males.