Everything You Need To Know About The Peregrine Falcon

Welcome to Wildlife in Focus. This episode is everything you need to know about the peregrine falcon, scientific name Falco peregrinus. The peregrine falcon is a muscular bird physically and certainly looks the part with a rather stocky build. They have a bluish grey back, a black head with a distinctive moustache and barred white chest and tummy. Did you know The name peregrine falcon and its scientific name Falco peregrinus translates to the term wandering falcon and refers to the bird's migratory nature. The peregrine falcon predominantly hunts birds such as pigeons and ducks. They will also opportunistically hunt small mammals. They can be found over much of the UK with the exception of higher ground. They have also adapted very well to urban environments taking advantage of tall buildings to nest from and as a vantage point to hunt from. Sadly it is in urban environments that you are most likely to see these animals as despite their protected status they continue to be persecuted by mankind. This is particularly the case in upland areas where they hunt game birds and pigeon and are therefore illegally targeted by landowners. Did you know the peregrine falcon can be found around the globe on all major land masses with the exception of the arctic regions, rainforests, the highest mountains and oddly New Zealand. This makes it the most widespread of all the raptor species. The peregrine falcon reaches sexual maturity from one year of age with pairs mating for life and returning to the same nesting spots each year. Courting pairs can sometimes be seen performing aerial acrobatics with the male passing food to the female and the female even flying upside down to retrieve it. They typically nest on the edges of cliffs but will also take to man-made structures such as cathedrals and pylons. They don't collect nest materials preferring to find areas where they can either form a small hollow. They have one brood each year consisting of up to four eggs which are incubated for up to 32 days and are fully fledged after a further 40 days. But remain partially dependent upon their parents for up to two months. Did you know the peregrine falcon is the fastest animal on the planet reaching speeds of over 200 miles per hour during a high speed dive. The fastest recorded speed of the peregrine falcon is cited as being 242 miles per hour. They have a wingspan of up to 115 centimeters and weigh up to 1300 grams. In the wild they typically live up to seven years. They have no natural predators but their nests are often predated upon by ravens, gulls and some mammals. The species was significantly impacted up to the 1960s due to the use of pesticides in their food chain as well as persecution. They now benefit from legal protection and numbers have since increased with the exception of upland areas where numbers have declined due to illegal persecution. I hope you've enjoyed this video. Please subscribe if you want to see more like this. It really helps the channel.