Common
name: Peregrine Falcon, falcó pelegrí (Catalan), halcón peregrino (Spanish)
Popular names: Peregrine, perry (UK)
Scientific name: Falco peregrinus
Subspecies in Catalonia: Falco peregrinus brookei
Systematics: Class Birds/Order Falconiformes/Family Falconidae
Morphology:
Total length:
-Male: 35-40 cm. / -Female: 45-50 cm
Wing span: -
Male: 70-85 cm / -Female: 95-115 cm
Weight: -
Male: 500-680 g / -Female: 800-1,200g.
Longevity:
Maximum registered 18 years in the wild and 19 years in captivity.
Distribution:
World distribution: in all continents except Antarctica. Not found in the Amazonian and Orinoco jungles or other places in the world with extreme climates.
Estimated Catalan population: approximately 245-253 pairs
Estimated European population: 7,600-11,000 pairs
Estimated world population: more than 20,000 pairs
Migration and seasonal movements:
The Northern and Central European populations migrate in winter to more southerly latitudes. The populations in Catalonia are highly sedentary though those living in higher areas (the Pyrenees, for example) migrate in winter to lower-lying areas.
Habitat:
The Peregrine lives in all type of open habitats (gorges, wetlands, ravines, cereal plains, etc.) providing there are vertical structures in which to nest, such as cliffs, high buildings or quarries.
Reproductive behaviour:
Courtship: between January and February
Mating between February and March
Egg laid and incubation: end of February until early April
Young birds remain in the nest until early June
Young birds remain in the territory of adults to end of December
Nest: does not really build nest, but rather makes use of ledges in crags or buildings to lay its eggs. Does not bring any material to the "nest", though may, if possible, dig out a small depression with its talons.
Incubation: done chiefly by the female which is helped by the male when she needs to feed or preen herself.
Feeding the chicks: both parents hunt but the female does most of feeding.
Clutch size: 1 to 5 eggs, normally 3
Incubation time: 28 to 30 days
Period in the nest: 35 to 40 days
Dependency on parents once outside the nest: 35 to 40 days
Diet:
Feeds exclusively on birds. Prey varies in function of the Peregrine's distribution, though they are predominately medium-sized.
Hunting techniques: hunts exclusively on the wing. Plunges down on quarry from a great height, or pursues bird in flapping flight.
Legal status:
The Peregrine Falcon is protected at an international level: by Catalan, Spanish State and European legislation and by world agreements.
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