Species of the Week: Peregrine Falcon

Species of the week:
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus)

1. They are found in all the continents with different subspecies inhabiting different areas.
2. The Peregrine Falcon has a wingspan of 70-120 cm with the female being larger than the male.
3. These falcons are bird eaters feeding mostly on medium sized birds that they take out.
4. In they wild they can live up to 15 and a half years old with their mortality decreasing as they age.
5. They mostly hunt during dusk and dawn with their patterns switching to nocturnal depending on location and migration periods.
6. The Peregrine Falcon mates for life with courtship rituals involving airborne acrobatics.
7. The egg laying season varies depending on hemispheres with February-March in the Northern and July-August and Southern.
8. The eggs are incubated with 29-33 days by the couple defending the nest from predators.
9. The Peregrine Falcon reaches speed of 320km/h when diving to attack prey.
10. The Peregrine Falcon was victim to the DDT pesticide accumulation during the 1950s-1970s but currently bounced back to IUCN "Least Concern" with some subspecies still in trouble.