The Peregrine Falcon
BY LORRAINE BERTAN
NORTH SHORE TOWERS
CULTURE COMMITTEE
Peregrine Falcons are among
the world’s most widespread
raptors. In 1969 they were
listed as “Endangered” under the
Endangered Species Conservation
Act of 1969 as a result of the use
of DDT pesticides. They are now a
protected species subject to fines.
Raptors are the warriors of the
bird world; they attack other birds
in flight and are considered the
fastest animal, flying at close to 200
miles per hour. They attack with
their impressive beak and the spe-cialized
raptor foot; three forward
facing toes and a rear facing toe for
a secure grip on prey.
Despite their fearsome approach
to survival, they are solicitous par-ents
and bond with their mates for
life. They mate on the wing, an
awesome sight, and the coloration
of males and females is similar;
the female is one third larger than
the male. To preserve the species,
a nesting box was established
on the Mid-Hudson Bridge near
Poughkeepsie during the 1980s and
was monitored; the falcons actu-ally
used it in 1996 and have been
returning to it ever since. Other
nests are on the Verrazano Bridge
and the Throgs Neck Bridge.
T h e
term “per-e
g r i n e ”
m e a n s
“ w a n -
d e r e r ”
and the
f a l c o n s
cover a
large ter-ritory.
They tend to return to the
same high place every year, and
successive generations continue to
use the gravel nest site. They prefer
to nest on cliffs and have adapted to
bridges and high buildings, even liv-ing
in the New York City Financial
District. If there are multiple species
of birds to hunt, falcons are happy.
They are apex predators, positioned
at the top of the food chain.
The males occupy a larger ter-ritory
than the females, who are
more likely to
remain near the
nest. An elaborate
courtship begins
in January, and
males and females
can be seen fly-ing
together. The
male entices the
female with bits of
food, frequently
bows to her in a
continuing court-ship.
Females lay
between 2-4 eggs
in March, produc-ing
a small brown
spotted egg every
other day. The
male and female
take turns incu-bating
the eggs.
The male con-tinues
to hunt
during this time, providing food
for the female. As hatching time
approaches, in about 35 days, the
female becomes involved in over-seeing
the chicks as they leave the
eggs. The babies still need their
parents to keep them warm for
about 8 days after hatching. This
is a busy time for both parents,
and the male is actively hunting
and providing food for mother and
chicks. They are devoted parents
and partners for life, and family is
very noisy at this time. The chicks
begin to develop
pin feathers and
discard their
downy covering.
They acquire
the coloration
of the parents
and entere the
fledgling stage.
At this point they
will acquire skills
from the parents
and begin to “test
their wings” and
prepare to leave
the nest on their
own in June-July.
How does the
body and wing
shape of the
falcon facilitate
its high speed
flying? The keel,
or breast bone, is
very large, allow-ing
for huge wing muscles which
power flight. The wings are point-ed,
with a smooth, solid surface to
reduce drag. The deadly clawed
feet stay close to the body, which is
streamlined in flight. The body size
can range from 14-18 inches, and
the wing span can range from 36-42
inches. The life span is between
12-15 years, typical for predators.
Falcons and hawks can be
trained to hunt living prey in their
natural habitat and obey signals
from human handlers known
as falconers. Falconry has been
practiced for thousands of years,
and one famous falconer was
Shakespeare, who referred to fal-conry
in his writing, especially in
Macbeth and Taming of the Shrew.
Falconry terms have enriched the
English language: “Hoodwinked”
refers to covering the eyes of a hawk
or falcon to keep it from becoming
distracted. “Eyes like a hawk” refers
to its powerful eyesight. A falcon
or hawk that is “fed up” or fully
“gorged” will not take directions
to hunt. “Haggard” refers to a fal-con
or hawk that cannot be fully
trained, and Shakespeare uses the
term to describe wild and messy.
To find out more about the life
cycle of the Peregrine Falcon, the
following link provides an inter-esting
video about the peregrine
falcons that inhabit Norwich
Cathedral in the United Kingdom:
ht tps://www.youtube.com/
watch?v=Z5XZ6qDg3rs.
A falcon rests on Lorraine’s balcony. Photo by Lorraine Bertan
Peregrine Falcon chicks. Photo courtesy Barbara
Saunders, NY State DEC
Peregrine Falcon in Flight over Verrazano Bridge. Photo courtesy Patrick Cashin
July 2020 ¢ NORTH SHORE TOWERS COURIER 37
/watch?v=Z5XZ6qDg3rs
/watch?v=Z5XZ6qDg3rs
/www.youtube.com
