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Birds of Utah - Peregrine Falcons

Birds of Utah There are 40 different species of falcons that are found throughout the world. Falcons are similar to hawks, but they are their own distinct species. Hooked beaks and powerful feet with strong claws are some of the characteristics that hawks and falcons share. However, falcons have long, pointed wings that curve back in a sickle shape as opposed to the straighter, softer wings of a hawk. Falcons also have notches in their beaks that hawks do not have.

Speed is the characteristic most commonly associated with falcons. Some falcons can fly at rates of almost 200 miles per hour. From great heights, they can locate their prey and then "dive" at incredible speeds to capture it. They use their feet to catch and grasp their prey. Hawks kill their prey with their powerful claws, but falcons kill by biting the head or neck of their prey.

During the 1960's and 1970's the number of falcons, and particularly pergrine falcons, declined drastically worldwide because of exposure to pesticides. Over the past two decades, peregrines have been making a slow but steady comeback due to concentrated efforts by ornithologists and wildlife preservationists.

Utah has been active in efforts to restore peregrine falcon populations. Nesting boxes have been placed on many of the tall buildings in Salt Lake City. A well-watched nest box on the ledge of the former Hotel Utah in downtown Salt Lake has been home to a peregrine couple for the past several years. Each year, these falcons have hatched one or two eggs. The chicks' growth, development, and eventual efforts to leave the nest have been recorded each year and followed with great interest among Utahns.

Peregrine Biology : Identification

  1. To what large group of birds do peregrines belong? (Hint: it is the same group that eagles and owls belong to)
  2. List 5 common characteristics of these kinds of birds.
  3. Falcons are more agile (which means they can maneuver their bodies better) than other raptors. But because their wings are long, pointed, and somewhat narrow, what CAN'T they do as well as other raptors?
  4. What purpose does their notched beak serve?
  5. Describe the nesting habits of peregrines.
  6. How much bigger is a female peregrine than a male? Why do you think that most female birds are larger than males?
  7. Describe the sounds that peregrines make.

 

Peregrine Foundations : Name and Terminology

  1. List the unofficial common names of peregrine falcons.
  2. What are peregrine chicks called?
  3. What is a peregrine nest site called?

 

Peregrine Biology : Natural History

  1. Throughout their lives, do peregrines usually have many mates or just one?
  2. List 2 reasons that, prior to courtship, male peregrines often give food to females.
  3. Describe the relationship between peregrine couples and how they treat each other.
  4. What color are peregrine eggs and how big are they?
  5. How many eggs do females usually lay?
  6. How long is the incubation of the eggs (in other words, how long does the parent bird sit on them)?
  7. Describe how males and females switch back and forth for egg incubation.
  8. Over a 6 week period, describe the development of peregrine chicks.
  9. When do most peregrine fledglings (adolescent birds) leave the nest?
  10. How long do peregrines typically live?
  11. When are they considered to be mature (grown up enough to breed)?
  12. For how many years do females lay eggs?
  13. Only one or two peregrines out of ten survive to maturity. List the factors that lead to their death and the 2 most dangerous times of their lives.

 

Peregrine Biology: Habitat Requirements

  1. Peregrines are found on every continent but one. What is that continent?
  2. Most peregrine falcons migrate south in the winter. Where specifically "south" do they go?
  3. Describe where and how peregrines make their nests in the wild.

 

Sea World : Diurnal Birds of Prey

  1. Using another source, find out what diurnal means. What is the opposite of diurnal?
  2. Is a peregrine falcon diurnal? Is an owl diurnal? An eagle?

 

Peregrine Biology: Conservation Issues

  1. What is the pesticide that has led to the endangered status of the peregrine falcon?
  2. Is this pesticide still in use?
  3. How did this pesticide cause a decline in the falcon's numbers?

 

Sea World : Conservation

  1. What was the status of peregrine falcons in 1975?
  2. What are some of the reasons that peregrine numbers are increasing?
  3. What was the status of peregrines in 1994?

 

Peregrine Falcons in Acadia

  1. What is the placement of falcons on the food chain (high or low)?
  2. Even though pesticides may be banned in the United States, why are peregrines still susceptible to their effects?
  3. In bird terms, what is hacking?

 

Kodak Tower Birdcam: Galleries

Cities throughout the United States and Canada are working to increase the numbers of peregrine falcons. Many cities are constructing special gravel-filled boxes for the falcons to nest in, and many of these boxes are located in tall buildings in populated areas. Special cameras are often set up near these boxes to record the birds, their eggs, and then their offspring.

The camera at this site is in Rochester, New York, at the Kodak Tower. During winter months the camera is shut down because the peregrine nesting time is over for the year. However, Kodak has left a photographic record of many of the images. Explore these images. Describe the nesting, incubation, and hatching stages of these falcons. (How many eggs are in the clutch? How long is incubation? Do all the chicks hatch? How do the birds feed their young?)

 

Photo: Utah Anatum Peregrine (southern)

Author: LINDA MOSBACKER - Email linda.mosbacker@slc.k12.ut.us