The peregrine falcon is the most common and well-known falcon around the world. But you won't see many of them in North Dakota, and you won't see any at all in Antarctica.
This falcon was put on the list of endangered species in 1970 because of a problem with its egg shells. This problem was mostly caused by the use of the pesticide DDT in the 1950s and 1960s, which thinned the egg shells. Biologists needed 20 years to figure out that the pesticide used to keep insects off plants was the cause of the problem with these birds and other animals. Small animals ate the pesticide-tainted plants, and when the peregrine falcon hunted those animals, the falcon got sick from eating the infected meat. Even peregrine falcons stopped caring for their young after being exposed to the chemical.
The federal government stopped people from using DDT in the United States, but it took a while to get back to normal because the chemical was still in the environment. Peregrine falcons live in other countries that still use DDT. This, along with trapping and shooting by poachers, is still causing the number of the birds to go down. The peregrine falcon is still on the list of endangered species, but its numbers are slowly growing.
The peregrine falcon is not a very big bird; it is about the size of a crow. Its dark blue to slate-colored back and white throat make it easy to spot. It also has small black sideburns and a black teardrop right under its eye.
At dawn and dusk, peregrine falcons hunt. They eat ducks, pigeons, other birds, and small mammals. They look for food from the air, and when they see something they want to eat, they attack and make a sharp, loud call to mark their territory. They can come down at speeds of up to 200 miles per hour, making them the fastest animal on Earth. When falcons hunt, they use their talons to hit their prey hard so they can eat it right away or take it back to their nest.
Peregrine falcons live on cliffs and build their nests far away from where people can reach them. But you can find some on top of tall buildings in cities. Researchers who study these birds help them nest in cities by putting leaves and other things that the birds can use in certain buildings.
You can find the peregrine falcon all over the world. Just keep an eye out for a flying bird about the size of a crow that has dark sideburns, yellow legs, and pointed wings. You can only hunt with a camera.
