The fastest bird in the peak. The fastest birds in the world - flight speed and records. Within the UK

The peregrine falcon, translated from Latin Falco peregrinus, is practically the most common bird of prey in the world of the falcon family. This is a rather large bird, the length of which is about half a meter, the weight of females is from 900 grams to one and a half kilograms, males - from 400 to 750 grams. The coloration of males and females is almost the same. The ventral part is lighter than the dorsal part.

The peregrine falcon is characterized by a wide chest, solid convex muscles, strong paws and sharp sharply bent claws, a kind of curved beak and a rather narrow, long, rounded tail at the end. The alarmed peregrine falcon makes sounds similar to duck “kra-kra”, during the courtship period you can hear “ee-chip” from him, and to attract attention he shouts “kyak-kyak” or “keek-keek”.

The peregrine falcon feeds on mammals (bats, squirrels), insects, amphibians, small and medium-sized birds - sparrows and pigeons, thrushes and starlings, ducks. It can live in any conditions and any climate (it is not found only in New Zealand), but prefers rocky places that are difficult for humans, although recently the peregrine falcon settles even in large cities (for example, in Moscow, on one of the main buildings of Moscow State University). There are more than 17 subspecies of the peregrine falcon, depending on its beauty and size. The peregrine falcon jealously guards its territory and is not afraid to attack even larger predators, but the birds are especially aggressive during the mating season.

The peregrine falcon is not only the fastest bird, but also the fastest creature in the world; during a swift flight - a dive, it develops the maximum speed among all living creatures - more than three hundred kilometers per hour or up to 90 meters per second. From the force of his blow, the head of the prey flies off to the side, and the body is torn apart along its entire length.

The peregrine falcon is a rather rare bird and is included in the Red Book of Russia. Trade in these birds is prohibited worldwide.

Video: Peregrine falcon (lat. Falco peregrinus)

Peregrine falcon. The fastest creature in the world.

The peregrine falcon is a unique representative of the falconiformes and the falcon family, which holds the speed record among all living creatures on the planet. In a dive flight, the peregrine falcon is capable of accelerating up to 322 km / h, in other words, in 1 second the bird flies 90 m. In horizontal flight, only the black swift flies faster than the peregrine falcon.

The peregrine falcon is a merciless predator and an excellent hunter. A man early noticed the mind and good learning ability of these birds, therefore, peregrine falcons were most often used in hunting, and the very concept of "falconry" is rooted in the 1st millennium BC. e. For the first time, the peregrine falcon, as a nominative species, was described in 1771 by the British ornithologist Tunstall, and in Russia until the middle of the 19th century, the peregrine falcon was called a falcon.

The closest relatives of the peregrine falcon are laggar, saker falcon, lanner and gyrfalcon. Due to a similar phenotype, they are often combined into one group, however, according to a number of characteristic features, the peregrine falcon is easy to recognize among other birds. Today, scientists distinguish about 19 subspecies of the peregrine falcon, which have minor external differences.

In the paws of a peregrine falcon, most likely, a bird is a guillemot.
A female peregrine falcon, photo from Vladivostok.

What does a peregrine falcon look like

Among other falcons, the peregrine falcon stands out for its rather large size: the size of an adult bird is 34 - 50 cm. The differences between the sexes are only in size: females are larger than males, their weight reaches 1.5 kg, while the weight of males does not exceed 440 - 750 g. bird wings are from 80 to 120 cm.

Like any active predator, the peregrine falcon has a strong build with a well-developed muscular chest and elongated pointed wings. The tail of the peregrine falcon is long, narrow, with a rounded tip. Its main weapons are strong fingers with deadly claws and a sickle-curved beak with a serrated hook on the upper half, designed to finish off and butcher the victim.

The upper body of adult birds is covered with slate-gray feathers with black tips. Depending on the range, the belly of birds is pale gray, pinkish or reddish in color with thin dark streaks extending from the belly to the sides and undertail. The chest of birds is decorated with teardrop-shaped mottles.

From the corners of the beak to the throat there is a section of black feathers, the so-called "whiskers", which contrast sharply with the white or reddish throat and are clearly visible in the peregrine falcon in the photo. The eyes of the bird are large, brown, surrounded by a patch of bare skin, as yellow as cere.

Distinguishing young from adult birds is quite simple: juveniles are colored less contrastingly, their legs are yellow and only become black as they grow older, and the wax has a gray-blue color.

Peregrine fledgling, photo from Vladivostok.


Peregrine Falcon close-up.

Range and lifestyle

Peregrine falcons easily adapt to many habitat conditions, so they can be found anywhere in the world, with the exception of Antarctica and New Zealand. Peregrine falcons live sedentary in most of their range, only populations of the Arctic belt make seasonal migrations far to the south.

The favorite habitats of peregrine falcons are always located in close proximity to water bodies: these are hard-to-reach mountain slopes, river cliffs, and moss swamps. Occasionally, birds settle within settlements, equipping nests on the roofs of stone skyscrapers. For example, residents of Atlanta can watch online a pair of predators living on the balcony of an office skyscraper.

In any case, peregrine falcons are very attached to the nesting territory and use it from generation to generation and do not change it even with a reduction in the food supply.

Peregrine Falcon in flight, top view.


Peregrine Falcon after lunch.

What does the peregrine falcon eat

The basis of the diet of peregrine falcons are small and medium-sized birds: sparrows, starlings, thrushes, pigeons, medium-sized waterfowl. Occasionally, predators prey on squirrels and hares, eat lizards, frogs and insects.

The peregrine falcon looks out for prey from a high point, sometimes it scares it from the ground. Having outlined the prey, the predator rapidly gains height, and then dives down almost at a right angle, folding its wings. With powerful paws, the peregrine falcon tangentially strikes with such force that the victim's head often flies off, and the body bursts along its entire length. The peregrine falcon carries and eats its prey on a hill, leaving its wings, legs and head intact.

Sapsan is interested in a photographer.
Manual peregrine falcon, they are tamed for hunting.
The peregrine falcon comes in to land in the nest.
Peregrine falcon in flight.
The peregrine falcon got a dove.
The peregrine falcon sits on a rock.

reproduction

Peregrine falcons form a pair for life and bring offspring once a year. The courtship process consists of intricate air pirouettes, joint cleaning of feathers and nibbling of claws.

Depending on the landscape, nests are located on ledges and in rock crevices, in hollows of trees, on marsh hummocks or under the eaves of stone buildings. The peregrine falcon's nest is easily recognizable by the lack of bedding and a pile of bones around.

Peregrine falcon in flight.
Peregrine falcon brood in the nest.

The clutch usually contains 3 red-brown eggs in a darker speck. Incubation lasts from 33 to 35 days, and the chicks that are born are distinguished by very large legs and dirty white downy plumage.

At the age of 35 - 45 days, the offspring begins to fly out of the nest, but remains in the care of their parents for several more weeks.

Today, due to the extremely small population of the peregrine falcon, it is under the protection of many states, and the bird trade is prohibited throughout the world.

Peregrine Falcon is a species of bird of prey belonging to the genus Falcons. The main feature of the peregrine falcon is its speed, it flies faster than all other birds.

Having found the prey, this predator swoops down on it at a speed of 322 kilometers per hour. But during a normal flight, peregrine falcons are not so fast, they are inferior to some birds in speed.

The species consists of 19 subspecies. These falcons live almost all over the world, from the northern polar regions to the southern part of the American mainland. Peregrine Falcons are found in the Arctic tundra, India, Tierra del Fuego, Australia, East Africa, Greenland and the Arctic tundra. These birds are not found only in the Amazon, the Arabian Peninsula, the Sahara, Antarctica and the highlands of Central Asia. These predatory birds also, for unknown reasons, do not like New Zealand, although the conditions are suitable for their habitat.

Appearance of a peregrine falcon

The body length of the peregrine falcon varies between 35-58 centimeters. Males are smaller than females. The body weight of females is 0.9-1.5 kilograms, and males do not gain more than 450-750 grams.

That is, females are 2 times larger than males. Between subspecies in females, the difference in weight can be 300 grams. On average, the difference in weight between males and females is 30%. The wingspan ranges from 75 to 120 centimeters.

The plumage color of females and males is the same. For certain parts of the body, color contrast is characteristic. In adults, the wings, back and rump are bluish-black. Against this background, bluish-gray stripes are visible. The belly is light with dark brown or black streaks. The tips of the wings are black. The tail is narrow and long, its tip is rounded and has a black color with a white edging.

Most of the head is black. A kind of mustache stretches from the beak to the throat - black feathers. The chest and front of the body are light, against the background of a black head, they look contrasting. The legs are yellow with black nails. The base of the beak is yellow, and it is black. The upper beak ends with small teeth, with the help of which the predator bites the spine of the victim. The eyes are large, dark brown in color, there are no feathers around them - this is bare skin of a pale yellow hue.

Juveniles have less contrasting plumage. Their belly is pale blue and their back is dark brown. There are streaks on the lower part of the belly.

Behavior and nutrition of the peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcons prefer to live away from people - in rocky valleys, in the foothills of ridges, on the banks of mountain rivers and lakes, or in remote areas. These predators have a clear preference for rocks, in which one can easily hide from large predators. These falcons also live in large marshy areas, but they do not like open spaces and, on the contrary, dense forests.

Migratory are only those subspecies that live in the harsh Arctic zones. For the winter, they go south - to Brazil, the USA, Southeast Asia. Subspecies living in India, Australia, Africa and South America live throughout the year in the same territory.

Speaking about the ability of these birds to dive at high speed, it is worth noting the unusual structure of the beak. At high speeds, the resistance of the air environment increases greatly, such high pressure can cause a rupture of the lungs, but this does not happen in the peregrine falcon due to the fact that they have special bone tubercles next to the nostrils, which act as a fender for the air flow, directing it to the side . Thanks to this, peregrine falcons breathe relatively easily even during a rapid fall.

The flight of the peregrine falcon is fast and impetuous.

The eyes of these falcons are also protected by special membranes, which are called the third eyelid. Thus, nature has thought of everything to the smallest detail so that the peregrine falcons feel comfortable even when falling at a speed of 620 kilometers per hour. But the maximum recorded speed at which these birds of prey dive is 389 kilometers per hour. This speed was recorded in 2005.

Listen to the voice of the peregrine falcon

Peregrine falcons are real predators, so they destroy other birds without the slightest regret. Their diet includes a huge number of birds. Their number reaches one and a half thousand, these are wild pigeons, waders, cranes, thrushes and so on. In addition to birds, these falcons eat rodents. Also caught in the claws of these predators, and. They eat peregrine falcons and insects, but they make up a small part of the diet. Peregrine falcons hunt, as a rule, in the morning and evening, but they can also feed at night.

Reproduction and lifespan

These birds of prey are monogamous, they form pairs for life. Pairs are destroyed only after the death of the female or male. Birds choose the same nesting sites for many years. Peregrine falcons do not accumulate in one place. Each pair has its own territorial allotment, on which the birds feed and breed. Between the nests of peregrine falcons, the distance reaches 2-3 kilometers.

In different regions, the mating season occurs at different times. For example, peregrine falcons living at the equator lay eggs from June to December. The more northerly peregrine falcons lay their eggs from April to June. For the inhabitants of the southern hemisphere, this period falls on February-March.

If the first clutch is lost for some reason, then the female makes a new one. As a rule, these falcons build their nests high above the ground, on sheer cliffs or in hollow trees. It depends on where the birds live. These birds of prey ignore the abandoned nests of other birds.

The peregrine falcon is a bird of prey.

Before mating, mating games take place in birds, the male performs various aerial figures in front of the female. If the female sits on the ground near the male, this indicates that she is receiving his attention, thus a pair is formed. It is noteworthy that males can feed their chosen ones in the air, while the female turns her belly up to eat.

The clutch consists of 2-5 eggs. Both parents are engaged in incubation of offspring. But most of the time the female spends in the nest, and the male forages. The incubation period lasts a little over a month.

Newborn chicks are covered with white-gray down. At first, babies are completely helpless. The female warms them with her body. After 1.5 months, the chicks become winged. At the end of the 2nd month of life, the young become completely independent and leave their parents.

Sexual maturity in peregrine falcons occurs 1 year after birth. At 2-3 years of age, these falcons begin to breed. The female makes 1 clutch per year. Life expectancy in the wild is on average 25 years, but it is believed that falcons live up to 100-120 years. This may be true, but there is no evidence for this theory.

In the first year of life, about 60-70% of young birds die. This number is decreasing by 30% annually. In the bulk, these birds of prey live up to 15-16 years, because they have too many enemies.

Peregrine Falcon Enemies

All terrestrial predators and other birds larger than peregrine falcons are their natural enemies. The falcon is threatened by , . These predators destroy nests and devour masonry.

In this regard, in some countries peregrine falcons are listed in the Red Book. Today we have to actively develop measures to preserve the population of the species. People have known peregrine falcons for thousands of years. People actively used these birds of prey in falconry, because they are very dexterous and fast.

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The peregrine falcon is a bird of prey. This bird is recognized as the fastest bird in the world and a living creature in general. Since it is capable of speeds up to 320 km / h or 90 m / second in a fall from a height onto a victim! Horizontal flight is not so fast and is only 120 km / h.

Species: Peregrine falcon

Genus: Falcons

Family: Falcons

Class: Birds

Order: Falconiformes

Type: Chordates

Kingdom: Animals

Domain: Eukaryotes

peregrine falcon anatomy

The size of the peregrine falcon is quite small - an adult reaches up to 50 cm in length, and its weight ranges from 750 g to 1.5 kg. At the same time, male peregrine falcons are smaller than females. The back, rump and wings are dark gray with gray-blue stripes, the belly is lighter, but with dark longitudinal stripes. The head and stripe running from the beak ("whiskers") are black. The beak is yellow at the base and the tip of the beak is black. 17 species of peregrine falcons are distinguished by size and types of coloring.

Peregrine falcons have rather large eyes. There is no feathering around the eyes and yellow skin around the eyes can be seen. The iris is dark brown. Vision is very good, there is a third eyelid that protects the predator's eyes.

In the region of the mandible, the bird has teeth, with the help of which the peregrine falcon can bite through the spine of the victim. On the beak itself, there are two tubercles near the nostrils, which help it breathe easily during a rapid fall, directing the air to the side. The bird also has thick and strong legs. Each finger has a sharp claw. All these features of the body structure allow the peregrine falcon to be considered the fastest and most dangerous bird of prey.

Where does the peregrine falcon live?

Peregrine falcons can be found on all continents of the planet except Antarctica.

What does the peregrine falcon eat?

The main food of peregrine falcons are medium-sized birds such as pigeons, ducks, starlings, magpies, thrushes and other species. Less commonly, it may feed on small mammals, such as hares, squirrels, ground squirrels, snakes, voles, etc.

peregrine falcon lifestyle

For most of the year, peregrine falcons lead a solitary lifestyle. Peregrine falcons choose one pair for life. Nests are built at a height. They can be located on rocky cliffs, tall trees, tall stone buildings or bridges.

Peregrine falcon video

The peregrine falcon hunts most often in the morning or in the evening, using two methods - either sitting on a perch or diving high in the sky in search of a victim. As soon as the victim is discovered, the peregrine falcon rises high above it and almost at a right angle with a lightning speed of up to 320 km / h falls on it with paws pressed to the body. The blow is crushing.

peregrine falcon breeding

When the couple is already created, the marriage period begins. Birds choose a territory that is jealously guarded from other birds. Acrobatic pirouettes begin with the transfer of food to the female in flight. The female lays eggs in April. In one clutch from 2 to 5 eggs. Both parents incubate the eggs for approximately 35 days. The eggs have a red shell with dark spots. Chicks hatch already in fluff and from the first days they eat meat. But still, at first they require heating by adults.

The female and male feed their chicks with fresh meat. A month later, the chicks are covered with feathers. But even when the chicks themselves begin to hunt, the parents still feed them, as the art of swift flight requires time and dexterity. Peregrine falcons reach puberty in a year, and pairs begin to create after 2 years of life. Life expectancy averages 15 years. These birds are listed in the Red Book.

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The peregrine falcon is the fastest bird in the entire universe, there are more than 17 subspecies of them.

It has no equal among feathered predators, it is common in all corners of our Planet, except for Antarctica.

Appearance

The female is larger than the male, the body length is from 42 to 55 cm, the wingspan varies from 93 to 115 cm, the total weight of the female reaches up to 1300, and the male up to 600 grams.

Its back is covered with slate-gray plumage, a variegated and white belly, and its head and mustache are black. On its paws, yellow in color, there are dark claws that resemble the shape of hooks.

The beak is short, it has two nostrils, the eyes are large, and around the perimeter they are surrounded by a yellowish line of 1.2 mm. Vision is clear, able to detect the victim at a distance of more than 1.5 km.

The tail is narrow, of decent size with a slate-gray color and curved at the end. The underside of the tail is dark in color with a small light stripe at its end.

The flight speed of the peregrine falcon is capable of reaching over 325 km/h, that's almost 100 meters per second.

Habitat

The distribution area of ​​​​this species is extensive, as we wrote earlier, it does not live only in the Arctic. However, in other places it lives everywhere.

And so, let's concretize the situation a little and give some scientific data for a clearer picture. This bird lives from the Arctic to South Asia and Australia, from the western part of Greenland through almost all of North America.

Habitat

This formidable predator prefers to inhabit areas inaccessible to humans, where there are peat bogs, steppes and semi-empty areas. In central Europe, he lives in mountainous uplands. It nests on sheer cliffs, along rivers and in old quarries.

They can also settle on tall trees, occupying other people's nests, since by nature they are not adapted to twist their own. They try to avoid those areas where dense and tall vegetation grows.

Sometimes, no matter how strange it sounds, the peregrine falcon can nest in settlements or cities. Birds occupy nests of other species, which are located on the roofs of shrines and other structures covered with stone structures.

In the winter season, it can migrate to areas where there are water bodies: rivers, lakes, and hunts other birds. It can be found during seasonal infrequent migrations, adults are sedentary, and the younger generation constantly wanders over great distances.

reproduction

The peregrine falcon creates a pair for life, they choose their nesting place in hard-to-reach places, such as:

• rock cornices;
• Tall trees;
• Roofs of houses or churches;

Also, they are very attached to the same nesting place, every year one and the same pair tries to occupy exactly the habitat that they occupied a year earlier.

There is enough space in the habitat to accommodate chicks and two adults, and besides, it is reliably protected from enemies and predators.

The body of males is ready for fertilization a year after birth, however, they take part in reproduction at 1.5 or 2 years of age.

The breeding season comes in May and lasts until June, in the northern regions it starts later. The male first flies to the place of dwelling. Seducing the female, he invents various pirouettes in the air, acrobatic action in the form of a spiral or clearly dives into a dive. etc.

If the chosen one pleased the female, she sits down to him at a short distance, which means that the pair has formed. Sitting next to each other, they mutually clean each other's feathers, gnaw their claws.

During mating courtship in the air, the male often fertilizes his chosen one with captured prey. To accept a gift, the female turns her back down on the fly, and the male at this moment passes the caught trophy to her.

These birds do not settle next to other pairs, the distance between neighbors must be at least 1200 meters, but the maximum distance between them can reach up to 2.6 km. This is due to the fact that this distance is enough to feed themselves without violating the territorial integrity of their relatives.

In this occupied area there can be up to 10 places where a pair can lay eggs, each new season they can occupy one of the mentioned places. The peregrine bird of prey carefully guards the territory entrusted to it, if someone dares to disturb their nesting place, they can attack more powerful birds, such as:

• Voronov;
• Orlov;

If the birds notice people, they begin to show concern already at a distance of 350 - 500 meters to the dwelling, it is accompanied by loud and piercing sounds characteristic of falcon species.

peregrine falcon voice

First, the male circles over people, later the female joins him, so as not to lose sight of them, from time to time they sit down next to them.

The location of the habitat directly depends on the landscape, however, in one case or another, the approach to it should be accessible and convenient. There must be a pond or river near the nesting site.

If this is a rocky area, then crevices or a place on a ledge of a slope are found, where a dwelling can be located at a height at least 30 to 85 meters. Not often, but it happens when peregrine falcons occupy the nests of other birds, such as:

• kite;
• Osprey;
• Crow;
• buzzard;
• Goshawk;

The floor in their dwelling is not specially covered, but with repeated exploitation, it contains old feathers and bones of past victims. One of the features of this bird is a huge accumulation of bone debris around the perimeter of the nest, which accumulates over many years, as well as droppings left by the young generation.

The female lays once a year, within forty-eight hours one egg appears, if for some reason she is destroyed, she will lay eggs for the second time. More often in the clutch there are 2 or 3, less often from 2 to 5 eggs of a rusty-red color and with brown speckles.

It has dimensions of 52-53X42-44 mm. For 35 days, the female and male will incubate them, but the female incubates more often, since the male forages at this time.

After the chicks begin to hatch, at first they are helpless. For the first time in their life, their body is covered with dirty-light fluff, the limbs are disproportionate and very developed. The mother of the chicks carefully warms them and feeds them.

The head of the family spends most of his time hunting, because the need for food increases every day more and more. It is capable of flying from 22 to 45 kilometers in search of prey..

After 45 days, the chicks will make their first flight from the family nest, but for some time they will be next to their parents, since they are too young at this age and do not have hunting skills, unlike their parents.

Nutrition

As you already know, the peregrine falcon is the fastest bird and it hunts exclusively on its own kind. Their diet is very diverse, let's briefly look at her daily menu in the list:

The bird bends its crescent-shaped wings and flies as if into an abyss. Once in such a situation, the victim has no chance to escape, the peregrine falcon beats her with such force that the bird's head can fly off and the body is torn, but if she remains alive, he breaks her neck with his powerful beak.

Lifespan

In the wild, this bird can live up to 25 years.

Red Book

Couples who live in places that are not safe for themselves are strictly protected by law. The total number of birds of this species permanently residing on the territory of European countries is no more than 5000 brood pairs.

• During the Second World War, this bird was destroyed by soldiers, as it caught carrier pigeons.
• The male is smaller than the female by a third.
• In the near future, he is threatened with complete or partial extinction.
• He has very clear vision and is able to recognize prey at a height of more than 310 meters.
• Peregrine falcons were often used for hunting, as well as.
• Falconry is only a sport these days.