Peregrine falcon: The world’s fastest bird

By Amelia McGarvey

The Peregrine Falcon or Falco Peregrinus is not only the world’s fastest bird, but also the fastest animal on Earth.They can reach speeds of over 200mph when diving during a hunting stoop. Hunting stoop is a way in which the peregrine falcon catches its prey, where the bird will dive almost straight down, drawing in its wings and the fastest ever recorded speed of a peregrine falcon was 242mph.

Peregrine Falcon in a stoop

They have an average body length of 39 – 50cm and a wingspan of 95 – 115cm. Peregrine falcons are characterised by their pointed wings and short tail, and can be easily identified by their markings. Peregrines can commonly be seen with the top of their heads having black feathers with a “moustache” or “sideburns” when compared to the rest of its white face and pale throat. They have blue-grey colouring on their backs and wings, and a barred white chest and legs, giving impression of black speckles.

There are approximately 1,750 breeding pairs of peregrine falcon in the UK, but the peregrine falcon is one of the world’s most widespread wild birds, and can be found almost anywhere on the planet except for the polar regions and New Zealand. Being so widespread, there are many subspecies of peregrine falcon, 16 to be exact, which includes; Falco peregrinus anatum, known as the (North) American Peregrine which is found in many parts of North America and in Alaska, Canada and Mexico; and Peale’s Peregrine or Falco peregrinus pealei, which can be found along the coasts from the Commander Islands, in Russia, through the Aleutian Islands and along the coast of Alaska.

Peregrine falcons are a great example of urban wildlife, they have been successfully living in cities and populated areas where they eat mostly pigeons and doves. Nesting in high buildings instead of the more natural cliffs and trees, they also hunt other prey such as ducks and geese. Though their diet consists mostly of other birds, the peregrine falcon will also eat rodents such as mice, which can be a useful meal for hatchlings.

Even though, unfortunately, 6 out of every 10 falcons hatched die within their first year, peregrine falcons can live to be 12-15 years old. The oldest recorded Peregrine lived to be at least 19 years and 9 months old in the wild in Minnesota in the United States.

They typically keep the same mate year to year, but seem to have no problem replacing a mate if one dies, finding a new one as near as a week later.

Peregrines are a commonly used falconry bird. Falconry is a means of hunting by using trained birds of prey. The origin of the sport is debated, but many suggest that falconry began in Ancient Mesopotamia around 2000BC and spread to Europe in around 400 AD.

In the late medieval period in Western Europe, falconry was a prestigious sport and the nobility who used the birds for hunting and falconry associated the peregrine with Princes, and considered it “a royal bird, more armed by its courage than its claws”.

Medieval Falconry

Peregrine falcons are still held in high regard today, being the national animal of the United Arab Emirates and the official city bird of Chicago, USA.

The John Moore Museum is home to a wonderful taxidermy peregrine falcon, which allows our visitors to see this brilliant bird up close. But if you would like to see a live peregrine falcon, come along to one of the museum’s “Birds of Prey” events (see our Events page for details). You can even see them in the wild behind the John Moore Museum, nesting in Tewkesbury Abbey.

Tewkesbury Abbey’s Bella