Peregrine falcon facts

• Scientific name: Falco peregrinus (In Latin, peregrinus means wandering.)
• Distribution: worldwide, but mainly in arctic to temperate regions
• Status: formerly listed by the U.S. government as endangered, but recently delisted
• Life span: 10 to 12 years; in captivity, 20 years
• Length: 10 to 20 inches (females are larger than the males)
• Wingspan: 36 to 45 inches (females are larger than the males)
• Weight: 1 pound 4 ounces to 2 pounds 12 ounces
• Plumage: slate grey-backed (dark brown-backed as juvenile) with cream-colored underparts, thick dark mustache (wedge) mark below eye
• Eyesight: up to eight times better than human vision
• Song: in protest, a loud, rapidly repeated "kak, kak, kak"
• Flight speed: clocked at 175 o 200 mph in vertical stoop, or dive from great heights upon prey
• Appearance in flight: active flight is with shallow, but stiff and powerful wingbeats; soars on flat wings and widely fanned tail; glides with wings level or with writs below body and wingtimps up
• Abundance and seasonal status: a rare migrant, summer and sometimes winter resident in Utah
• Nesting habits: tall, sheer cliff faces, often within 14 mile of water; occasionally on bridges, building and towers
• Number of eggs in clutch: usually 3 to 4
• Wintering habits: Mexico and Central America
• Food: almost exclusively birds, nearly always caught on the wing
• Factors responsible for decline: pesticide (the ban in the use of DDT in 1972 is believed to have contributed significantly to recover), habitat loss, pollution, poisoning and shooting. In recent years, the outlook for the birds has improved significantly, and they have been delisted from the federal endangered species list.