![]() Peregrine falcons nest in a scrape, normally on cliff edges. The male passes prey it has caught to the female in mid-air. ![]() Pairs perform courtship flight that includes a mix of aerial acrobatics, precise spirals, and steep dives. During the breeding season, these birds are territorial and nesting pairs are usually more than 1 km (0.62 mi) apart. A pair mates for life and returns to the same nesting spot annually. Peregrine falcons are monogamous breeders. Peregrine falcons are generally silent birds but when near the nest, they usually produce a rasping "kack-kack-kack-kack" call. Breeding pairs may hunt together and the female often catches larger prey. Peregrines may also surprise and ambush prey on the ground, and in rare cases even pursue the prey on foot. If they miss the initial strike, they will chase their prey in a twisting flight. If their prey is too heavy to carry, peregrines will drop it to the ground and eat it there. Prey is typically struck and captured in mid-air Peregrine falcons strike their prey with a clenched foot, stunning or killing it with the impact, then turn to catch it in mid-air. Once prey is spotted, these hunters begin their stoop, folding back the tail and wings, with feet tucked. Peregrines require open space for hunting and searching for prey either from a high perch or from the air. These birds are active during the day but hunt most often at dawn and dusk when prey are most active. Peregrine falcons are not very social birds outside of the breeding season, they are often seen singly or in pairs. An immature Peregrine falcon is much browner, with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring. ![]() The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation that enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The top of the head and a "mustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The tail colored like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow, and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The back and the long pointed wings of the adult Peregrine falcon are usually bluish-black to slate grey with indistinct darker barring the wingtips are black. ![]() The need for this work has never been more pertinent.The male and female of this species have similar markings and plumage but, as with many birds of prey, the female measures up to 30% larger than the male. From this data we hope to add clarity to the life history of peregrines and paint a more holistic picture of their annual cycle and potential responses to a changing climate. These birds will be tracked using the Motus wildlife tracking system. Additionally, we are partnering with the Pennsylvania Game Commission and Pennsylvania Power and Light Corporation (PPL) to deploy nanotags and satellite tracking units on peregrines from several nests throughout the state, including an appropriately located site on top of the Rachel Carson building in Harrisburg. We have been collaborating with several researchers worldwide to monitor the nesting success of peregrine falcons on breeding grounds in the Canadian Arctic for more than 10 years as part of the Ecological Studies and Environmental Monitoring at Bylot Island project. Through innovative research, we are working to better understand and proactively address these challenges. An increasingly developed world also forces some peregrines to adapt to urban life, and others to at least cohabitate with ever-encroaching humans. Ongoing climate change is affecting migratory movements and habitat selection during the winter, as well as impacting the ability of peregrine parents to keep their eggs and chicks safe from rain and black flies on the breeding grounds. Today however, even with the ban of DDT, peregrines still face challenges. During the DDT era, decreasing counts of peregrines provided an important indicator of how harmful chemicals were negatively affecting raptor populations. The documentation of migrating raptors at hawk watch sites like Hawk Mountain can be one of the best means of assessing population trends of a species. For example, Northern tundra breeders in Greenland and Canada travel as far south as Central Argentina. Their Latin name, meaning “wanderer,” aptly describes their highly migratory and cosmopolitan existence as they are found on every continent except Antarctica, exhibiting both long-distance and partial migrations. Peregrine Falcons are one of the most widely recognized raptors in the world, claiming the title as the fastest animal on the planet with recorded dives of over 200 mph.
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