Owner Comments:
Yesterday (7/23/2017), I read a new study that announced that biomechanical studies done on Tyrannosaurus Rex skeletons have determined that Tyrannosaurus was something of a slowpoke, with a maximum speed of 17 MPH (To put this in perspective, the fastest humans max out at 28 MPH, and we’re certainly not hunters of large but fleet footed Ornithischian dinosaurs). This casts some doubt into the predatory abilities of this famous theropod. It’s looking like the dromaeosaurs and avialans were the true hunters of the Northern Hemisphere during the Cretaceous. I figured, in light of this new study, it was a good time to examine a modern dinosaur that is definitely a proficient hunter and lives life in the fast lane: The Peregrine Falcon, species name Falco peregrinus
The Peregrine Falcon is a strong contrast to its extinct slowpoke cousin. It is actually the fastest animal known to have ever existed, reaching speeds of up to 242 MPH when performing its hunting stoop, a high-speed aerial dive. It is also the world’s most widespread raptor, inhabiting all ice-free landmasses aside from New Zealand.
Peregrine Falcons are small but mighty. They range in length from 13-23 inches with a wingspan between 2.4 to 3.9 feet. As with most raptors, females are considerably larger than the males, with females weighing up to 50% more than the males. Males average less than 1.5 pounds while females average over 1.8 pounds. The back and the wings of the Peregrine Falcon are a bluish black to slate grey with a white to rusty underside that is barred with dark brown or black. They have a yellow cere (the part of the bill with the nostrils) and feet with a black beak and claws. There are 19 different subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon, which vary in coloration and size.
Peregrine Falcons differ from the two eagles discussed previously in some important feeding behaviors. The first is in prey selection. While the Golden Eagle primarily preys on mammals and the Bald Eagle preys on fish and whatever it can steal, the Peregrine Falcon is similar to prehistoric predatory dinosaurs in that it primarily preys on other dinosaurs. Common prey items for the Peregrine Falcon include pigeons, waterbirds, songbirds, waders and other small to medium size birds. It will even prey on some of the smaller falcons and hawks.
The hunting technique of the Peregrine Falcon is also different than those of the eagles and larger raptors. Peregrine Falcons search for prey by soaring or from a high perch. Once a suitable prey animal is sighted, the Peregrine Falcon pursues the prey animal until it gets in a good position to enter its stoop. Then it dives at the prey animal, hitting it mid-air at speeds of up to 242 MPH. The force behind this blow is absolutely devastating and is often fatal in and of itself. The Peregrine then grabs the prey animal in its talons. If the prey is dead, they will land and begin to eat. If the prey is not dead, they will drop the prey from the air and land, finishing the prey off with its beak, which has special “pseudo-teeth” on the sides for this purpose, allowing the Peregrine to sever the spinal cord and kill the prey. This killing with the beak rather than the feet is one of the differences that set falcons apart from other raptors.
The high-speed dive of the Peregrine Falcon has called for the evolution of traits to help the falcon itself deal with the stresses of moving at such a high speed. Notably, they have special nostril tubercules to protect their lungs from the air pressure encountered when making an aerial dive at over 200 MPH. Their nictitating membranes, a kind of third eyelid that most reptiles (as birds are a kind of dinosaur, they are classified as reptiles as well) have as do sharks, are also strengthened to protect the Peregrine’s eyes when making these dives. The Peregrine Falcon is superbly evolved for its role as a high-speed, aerial predator.
Peregrine Falcons mature at between two and three years of age. Like other raptors, Peregrine Falcons mate for life and they too have an elaborate courtship ritual. The male courts the female with a mix of aerial aerobatics, spirals and dives. When a female accepts a male as her mate, the male passes a prey animal he has caught and killed to the female in mid-air. She actually flies upside down for a bit in order to make this catch. While they are normally not territorial against members of their own species, Peregrine Falcons become territorial while nesting and raising young. Due to this, Peregrine nests are always at least a kilometer apart from one another, usually much more if the space is available.
Peregrine Falcons nest on cliffs, buildings and bridges. They are yet another example of an avian dinosaur that has used our changing of the environment to their advantage and many Peregrine Falcons live in our cities and towns. They will also occasionally ground nest. Both parents incubate the eggs, but the male only incubates during the day. Females are the only ones that incubate at night, and the reason for this behavior is presently unknown. Peregrine Falcons are capable of vicious defense when their nests, eggs or young are threatened. Ground-nesting parents have to defend eggs from mammalian threats including foxes, wolverines, felids, bears, wolves, and mountain lions. These mammalian predators typically do not cause much of a problem for Peregrine parents.
However, avian predators are a more serious threat. Herons, gulls and ravens will try to eat Peregrine eggs while other raptors, such as Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, Snowy Owls and Great Horned Owls will attempt to eat young Peregrines. The small but mighty Peregrine is capable of holding its own against these larger raptors. Bald Eagles and Snowy Owls have both been confirmed to have been killed outright, at the nest, by Peregrine Falcon pairs in defense of their eggs and young. Golden Eagles, the raptor that is actually the least likely to prey on Peregrines and their young due to its mammal preference, have also been successfully fought off and they often come away with injuries from encounters with Peregrines. Some of these injuries have been found later to have been fatal to the Golden Eagle, an animal that can be from 8 to almost 10 times the weight of the Peregrine Falcon that is also a formidable predator of some very large animals such as deer and canids.
Peregrine pairs typically have one or two chicks after an incubation period of around 33 days. The young are born tiny, fuzzy, white and helpless with endearingly large feet. Both parents hunt and feed the chicks, which fledge between 42 and 46 days after hatching. They then remain with their parents for two more months before leaving on their own. Given the huge geographic range and large numbers of subspecies, breeding takes place at many different times of the year. Peregrine Falcons live for around 15.5 years.
The coin used to represent the Peregrine Falcon is my absolute favorite State Quarter. I’d also like to point out how dinosaur-like the Peregrine Falcon on the coin looks in profile in this depiction. This is a great coin to help make the connection between birds and their dinosaur kin and to, sadly, continue the dethronement of the Tyrannosaurus Rex (sorry Rexy, but I still love you even if you were slow!!)