Peregrine falcon
The
peregrine falcon, also known as the
peregrine, and historically as the
duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family
Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, females being considerably larger than males. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 322 km/h during its characteristic hunting stoop, making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a
National Geographic TV programme, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h. The peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread raptor and one of the most widely found bird species.