How Do Peregrine Falcons Work?

These birds of prey are one of the fastest animals in the world -- engineers study them to make airplanes more aerodynamic. Learn more in this episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/peregrine-falcons-are-one-fastest-animals-alive.htm

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff
Lauren vogelbaumb Here. In two thousand and five, a fellow
named Ken Franklin of Friday Harbor, Washington, used a computer
chip to clock the diving speed of one of the
peregrine falcons he owned by the name of Frightful, a

(00:21):
six year old bird weighing in at a little over
two pounds or a little less than one ki low.
The result the bird dove after prey from about three
miles in the air or five kilometers, at a speed
of two hundred and forty two miles an hour. That's
three hundred and eighty nine kilometers an hour, and with
that speedy swoop broke a Guinness World record for the

(00:43):
fastest dive by a bird, furthermore, making the peregrine falcon
one of the world's fastest animals. Period Referred to as
global birds, the peagrine falcon can be spotted on every
continent except Antarctica, traveling long distances between their wintery and
breeding grounds. Their taxonomical name is Falco peregrinus. Peregrinas means

(01:06):
traveler in Latin. They're also unofficially known as the great
footed hawk, the ledge hawk, stonehawk, rock hawk, bullet hawk,
and wandering falcon. A North American peregrine falcons can be
migratory or non migratory, with some residing year round in Alaska,
the Southwest, Midwest, and northeast, while others migrate annually from

(01:30):
South America and the Gulf Coast to the Alaskan tundra.
Before the article, this episode is based on Hastuff Works
spoke by email with Rick Schwortz, a San Diego Zoo
Global Ambassador. He explained they prefer wide open spaces and
do well near coasts where shore birds are common, but
can be found from the tundra to deserts to forests.

(01:52):
They are strong, efficient flyers and skilled at catching a
variety of prey. This versatility allows them to live in
almost any type of climate and habitat. Basically, they can
live wherever they can find food. A peregrine falcons are
some of the largest falcons in North America, weighing up
to three and a half pounds or about one and

(02:12):
a half kilos, with a wingspan of up to forty
eight inches and a body length of up to twenty inches.
That's about one hundred and twenty by fifty centimeters. They
have long, pointed wings and a long tail. A Schwartz said.
Adults are blue gray above, with their underside having alternate
bands of colors, and a dark head with thick sideburns.

(02:33):
They have sharp yellow talons to catch their prey, and
as with most raptors, males are smaller than females. A
pearagrine falcons use those talons and incredible eye sight to
capture other birds even while in flight. They eat mostly
other birds, with about four hundred and fifty North American
species having been documented as prey by the National Wildlife Federation.

(02:56):
Among them are birds as large as sand hill cranes
and as small as hummingbirds, as well as shorebirds, ducks, gulls, pigeons,
and songbirds. They also eat bats, and they often swipe
fish and rodents from other raptors. A Schwartz said, a
hunting peregrine typically catches its prey in the air with
fast pursuits, rapid dives, and other impressive aerial maneuvers for

(03:19):
which these falcons are known and admired. Peregrine falcons will
sometimes dismember their prey and eat it in flight, or
they will land with their prey in a safe spot,
pluck the feathers and eat. They also have a sharp
tooth at the end of their beat that they can
use to sever their prey's neck. They're near the top

(03:39):
of the food chain, meaning they have very few predators
except for other large birds of prey like the great
horned owl. Their speed certainly helps with this, and their
teardrop shaped body is one of the most aero dynamic
designs known in nature. In fact, it's been studied and
copied by airplane manufacturers for decades. A housetuff Work also

(04:00):
spoke by an email with Nicole Ellis, a pet expert
and certified trainer. As she said, they are rocketing down
from the sky is like a blur. The force from
the air traveling at such a speed would explode the
bird's lungs, but baffles in the nose prevent this. Just
another feature that's been studied and used in jet engines.
Sophisticated membranes in the bird's eyes prevent them from drying

(04:22):
out so the predator can remain fixed on the target.
Although these birds aren't necessarily homebodies, they are devoted partners.
Schwartz said they mate for life and return to the
same nesting spot each year. When looking for a mate,
male peregrine falcons have to work hard to impress the
females and to keep her attention. Males bring females food

(04:44):
during the courting and nesting season. She frequently takes the
prey from him while they are both in flight, by
turning upside down in mid air and grabbing the food
out of his talons. The peregrine falcon is considered one
of the world's most common birds of prey. Schwartz explained
in the mid nineteen hundreds, pesticides had a devastating effect

(05:04):
on many bird species in North America, including peregrine falcons,
and their numbers dwindled. Today, thanks to the work of
the Paragrine Fund and many other organizations, the paragrine is
listed as a species of Least Concern. However, these birds
are best appreciated out in nature. A note that it's
illegal to own any bird of prey in the United States,

(05:27):
the only exceptions being licensed falconers in all states except
Hawaii and the District of Columbia. As Schwartz said, acquiring
a falcon re license in the US requires passing a
state written test, having equipment and facilities inspected, and serving
a minimum of two years as an apprentice under a
licensed Falconer, during which time the apprentice falconer may only

(05:48):
possess one raptor. Today's episode is based on the article
The Fast and Furious Peregrine falcon is a midair hunting
machine on how stuffworks dot Com written by Wendy Bowman.
Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how
stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four

(06:08):
more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the Airheartradio app,
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