6

Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) Alternate name(s): "Black-cheeked Falcon", "Peregrine"; misnomer: "Duck Hawk" Aboriginal name(s): Race "macropus": "bihyun" (Gold Coast); "kwetolbo", "moldern" (WA) Size: 35-50 cm; wing span 85-100 cm Body mass: 425-750 g (male), 910-1500 g (female) Wing loading [g/cm2]: 0.52 (male), 0.66 (female)

Australia: Family Group 6 Family Group 6 Table Osprey Brahminy Kite Whistling Kite Little Eagle Black Kite Square-tailed Kite Black-breasted Buzzard Wedge-tailed Eagle White-bellied Sea-Eagle Spotted Harrier Swamp Harrier Black-shouldered Kite Letter-winged Kite Pacific Baza Collared Sparrowhawk Brown Goshawk Grey Goshawk Red Goshawk Nankeen Kestrel Australian Hobby Peregrine Falcon Brown Falcon Grey Falcon Black Falcon Thumbnails page Family group table Index of bird names Habitat pages Key plants Birds home page

Similar species

Description     Classification     Distribution     Sightings     Photos     Breeding     Nest     Eggs     Behaviour     Food     Call/s

Physical description Click here for a physical description Peregrine Falcons are relatively small raptors. They have a black head with yellow eye-ring, white half-collar, thinly barred grey-brown front (breast, belly and vent) and grey wings with dark-grey tips. The tail is barred grey. The bill is grey, with a yellow cere; the legs and feet are yellow. The underwing pattern is barred grey-brown, similar to the front of the body. Females are much larger than males. Juvenile Peregrine Falcons have a heavily streaked front, with an inconspicuous collar. The overall appearance is browner than an adult's. "Raptors" (or "birds of prey"), most prominently, but also some species of waders, show a pronounced "dimorphism", i.e. a difference between male and female birds - not just in the appearance of the plumage, but in other, important properties, such as size or strength. Here we explain why. Twitcher's tip Compared to Australian Hobbies the contrast between dark and light feathers (in both the facial pattern and general appearance) is more pronounced in Peregrine Falcons.

Taxonomy, classification See Peregrine Falcon at Wikipedia .

Range, habitat, finding this species Click here for information on habitat and range The overall distribution of this species can be assessed, and specific locations where birds have been spotted can be found, based on individual sighting reports submitted by birdwatchers to ebird.org . The global distribution of the Peregrine Falcon is available HERE . Peregrine Falcons are the species with the most wide-ranging distribution on Earth. For details on the ranges of the currently accepted 19 races, see e.g. a field guide or Wikipedia (also the more detailed range map). Basically, the only areas - apart from Antarctica, Iceland, most of Greenland and other far-northern islands - where they do NOT occur are the greater Amazon basin and Mato Grosso, the major deserts (Sahara, Gobi, central Arabia) and inland areas of central western Africa. Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", are endemic to Australia. They inhabit the entire Australian continent, including Tasmania and other, especially rocky, coastal islands. They tend to stay away from human interference. In times of sufficient rainfall, and thereby sufficient prey, Peregrine Falcons can be found even in the most arid parts of the continent, i.e. the major sandy deserts of eastern WA, the Nullarbor and the Lake Eyre Basin. Note that there are also very rare reports of one of the far-northern races "tundrius" or "calidus" from Australia. Although primarily found in forest landscapes with escarpments or cliffs, Peregrine Falcons also hunt in more open country, both in the interior of the continent and on coastal islands. They have also been found by us in mountainous terrain of up to 1500 m altitude.

Sightings Click here for sighting information Race "macropus" Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", are occasionally seen by us in the area of Narrabri, NSW, in northern inland NSW. The first sighting occurred in February 2008 at Eulah Creek, 20 km East of Narrabri, on the western fringes of the Nandewar Range, an area with sandstone escarpments suitable for nesting. Since 2013, Peregrine Falcons are seen semi-regularly by us in the area of Eulah Creek and Deriah Aboriginal Area. Two Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", probably a pair, have been seen by us several times at the nearby Deriah Aboriginal Area, where we saw them twice in one day taking Bar-shouldered Doves. Peregrine Falcons have also repeatedly been found by us, and also by V. Collins, in Mt. Kaputar NP. B. Hensen reports spotting a pair of Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", at Royal NP near Wattamolla, NSW, in June 2013. R. Plumtree spotted Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", at Swan Reach Cliffs, East Gippsland, VIC, in May 2015 and again in July 2018. M. Windeyer reports spotting a Peregrine Falcon, race "macropus", at Gum Swamp, Forbes, NSW, in November 2015. J. Greaves reports spotting a Peregrine Falcon, race "macropus", at Dianella, Perth, WA, in July 2016. M. Eaton found a Peregrine Falcon, race "macropus", at the University of Queensland campus, St. Lucia, Brisbane, QLD, in August 2018. P. Brown spotted a Peregrine Falcon, race "macropus", at the Gooradalng Campground, Keep River NP, NT, in September 2020. In April 2022 M. Eaton observed a Peregrine Falcon, race "macropus", at Point Addis, VIC. J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours reports finding a nest of a pair of Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", with two young in it, at Mount Hypipamee, QLD, in October 2022. In June 2023 M. Eaton found a pair of Peregrine Falcons, race "macropus", in Alice Springs, NT. Another pair was found nesting at Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, in August 2023.

Photos

Race "macropus"

ADULT

PAIR

Frontal view of a pair of Peregrine Falcons
Many bird species exhibit sexual dimorphism, i.e., male and female have differing appearances which can be quite subtle. The male, on the right, is smaller than its partner. (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

The photo shown here, of a pair, was used to determine the sexes of the two individuals (photos below from Alice Springs taken in June 2023). Note that the male, on the right, which is smaller than its partner, has brighter orange eye-rings, cere, bill and legs/feet than the female, indicating that this pair is breeding.

MALE

Frontal view of a male Peregrine Falcon; note the orange eye-ring, cere, bill and legs/feet (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Near-frontal view of a male Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Near-frontal view of a male Peregrine Falcon with its prey (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

Near-lateral view of a male Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Dorsal view of a male Peregrine Falcon; this bird was observed feeding a begging female at the start of the breeding season, see below (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

FEMALE

Frontal view of a female Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Frontal view of a female Peregrine Falcon looking sideways (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Near-frontal view of a female Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Near-lateral view of a female Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Alice Springs, NT, June 2023]

Near-lateral view of a female Peregrine Falcon; this bird was observed begging for, and receiving, food from its partner in a bonding ritual (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

Lateral view of a female Peregrine Falcon (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

Frontal view of a female Peregrine Falcon in low flight (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

Sex unknown

Frontal view of a Peregrine Falcon
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]

Frontal view of a Peregrine Falcon looking sideways
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]

Lateral view of a Peregrine Falcon sitting on a rockface (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Swan Reach Cliffs, East Gippsland, VIC, May 2015]

Near-dorsal view of a Peregrine Falcon using a lamppost as its perch (photo courtesy of J. Greaves)
[Dianella, Perth, WA, July 2016]

Frontal view of a Peregrine Falcon in flight; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 31 May 2020
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2020]

Near-lateral view of a Peregrine Falcon in flight (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Point Addis, VIC, April 2022]

Lateral/ventral view of a Peregrine Falcon in flight; this is the bird whose calls were recorded on 31 May 2020
[Pilliga NP, NSW, May 2020]

Lateral/ventral view of a Peregrine Falcon in flight
[Deriah Aboriginal Area, NSW, January 2014]

Near-dorsal view of a Peregrine Falcon in flight (photo courtesy of B. Hensen)
[Royal NP, NSW, June 2013]

Collage of photos showing a Peregrine Falcon circling above a 1400-m high mountain
[Mt. Kaputar NP, NSW, February 2021]

IMMATURE/JUVENILE

Frontal view of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon; note the heavy streaking and the chevrons down the front
(photo courtesy of P. Brown)
[Gooradalng Campground, Keep River NP, NT, September 2020]

Portrait of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)

Lateral portrait of a juvenile Peregrine Falcon taken in captivity (photo courtesy of M. Windeyer)

Breeding information

Breeding season: Aug - Nov

Eggs: 2 - 3

Incubation period: 31 - 35 days

Fledging age: ca. 40 days

Nest building: N/A

Incubation: Female & male

Dependent care: Female & male

Peregrine Falcons do not build a nest. They either use a scrape or just a bare rock surface or they re-use another species' stick nest.

Nest

"bungobittah", "lar", "malunna", "jindi" [bundjalung] = nest [Aboriginal]

Type: Scrape in rock crevice/ledge

Material: Rock

Height above ground: 15 - ? m

Two young Peregrine Falcons on a rock ledge that used to be their nest; by the relative sizes of the birds female on the left, male on the right (photo courtesy of J. Boettcher, FNQ Nature Tours)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, October 2022]

Overview of the location of a Peregrine Falcon nest on a rock ledge (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Near-dorsal view of a female Peregrine Falcon on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Dorsal view of a female Peregrine Falcon on its nest (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Female Peregrine Falcon temporarily off its nest, revealing the presence of 3 eggs (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Female Peregrine Falcon turning its eggs (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Female Peregrine Falcon temporarily off its nest, feeding on prey brought by the male (photo courtesy of M. Eaton)
[Mt. Hypipamee, QLD, August 2023]

Peregrine Falcon sitting in front of its nest in a rock crevice (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, 1980ies]

Location of the Peregrine Falcon nest the entrance to which is shown above (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, 1980ies]

Peregrine Falcon nest (not in use at the time the photo was taken) on a rock ledge; note the white streaks of poo down the rockface
[Apsley Gorge, Oxley Wild Rivers NP, near Walcha, NSW, October 2018]

Eggs

"boyanga", "booyanga", "derinya", "dirandil", "koomura", "mirk", "ngampu", "nooluk", "pateena", "pum-pum" = Egg; "dirundirri" = eggs [Aboriginal]; "gawu" = eggs [gamilaraay]

Size: 53 x 40 mm

Colour: Creamy, with olive-brown speckles

Shape: Ellipsoidal

Peregrine Falcon nest with 2 eggs in it (photo courtesy of D. Johnston)
[Pilliga scrub, NSW, 1980ies]

Behaviour

Social behaviour: Territorial

Mobility: Dispersive

Elementary unit: Solitary

Lateral view of a female Peregrine Falcon; this bird was observed begging for, and receiving, food from its partner in a bonding ritual (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)

Sulphur-crested Cockatoo trying to intimidate a Peregrine Falcon
[Eulah Creek, NSW, November 2021]

Food, Diet

Adults: Birds

Dependents: As adults

Water intake: None

All raptors are carnivores. Peregrine Falcons prey on smaller birds, up to the size of pigeons or ducks, which they take in flight.

During the first few weeks, raptors feed their chicks with pieces of meat. Later on in their development, the chicks learn to tear apart their parents' prey.

Near-frontal view of a male Peregrine Falcon with its prey (photo courtesy of R. Plumtree)
[Tambo River, Swan Reach, East Gippsland, VIC, July 2018]

Near-dorsal/ventral view of a Peregrine Falcon plucking a Galah
[Eulah Creek, NSW, October 2021]

Call(s)/Song

For this species we have recorded the following call(s)/song. The interpretation of their meaning is our own; comments and suggestions for improvement are welcome.

perfalc_me_20230815.mp3	macropus (N QLD)	Hunting call (female with prey)	© ME
perfalc_20200531_3.m4a	macropus (NW NSW)	?	© MD
perfalc_20211021_2.m4a	macropus (NW NSW)	? (+alarm calls of Australian Raven and Pied Butcherbird)	© MD
perfalc_20200531_2.m4a	macropus (NW NSW)	? (+alarm calls of White-plumed Honeyeater)	© MD
perfalc_20200531.m4a	macropus (NW NSW)	? (+alarm calls of Straw-necked Ibis, Magpie-lark & White-plumed Honeyeater)	© MD

More Peregrine Falcon sound recordings are available at xeno-canto.org .

These pages are largely based on our own observations and those of our contributors. The structure of these bird pages is explained HERE. For more salient facts on any bird species please refer to a field guide.

Would you like to contribute photos or sound recordings to this site? If interested, please CLICK HERE. Credits to contributors are given HERE.