peregrine falcon: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Facts

Also Known As	Falco peregrinus • duck hawk

Photos and Videos

Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus).

Illustration of a peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) perched on a branch, showing its dark head, yellow beak, barred chest, and strong yellow talons.

Peregrine falcons: The fastest animals on Earth

See All Videos and Images →

Topics

American peregrine falcon Falco merlin gyrfalcon Where Do Falcons Typically Live?kestrel hobby

Macaw. bird. Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) in Quantana Roo, Mexico. A large colorful parrot native to tropical North and South America.

Know Your Birds Quiz: Part One

Lion (panthera leo)

Deadliest Animals Quiz

Young chimpanzee dressed in a shirt and sweater vest, scratching his head thinking. (primates)

Wild Words from the Animal Kingdom Vocabulary Quiz

The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is seen in Switzerland on December 2024

Animal Factoids

turkey vulture. vulture. Close-up of a head and beak of a Turkey vulture (Cathartes aura).

A Little Bird Told Me

Mute swan with cygnet. (birds)

Match the Baby Animal to Its Mama Quiz

Sea otter (Enhydra lutris), also called great sea otter, rare, completely marine otter of the northern Pacific, usually found in kelp beds. Floats on back. Looks like sea otter laughing. saltwater otters

Animal Group Names