Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) | Photos, Calls and ID

LCLeast ConcernVertebrates

GrasslandCavity nestLarge · 760 g

What the Peregrine Falcon sounds like

Sonogram of the Peregrine Falcon: time runs left to right, pitch bottom to top, and the brighter the mark the louder the sound.

Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Tombelaine, Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Alarm call, call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Le Mont-Saint-Michel), Manche, Normandie, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

Recorded by Sonothèque ADVL · Call, duet, flight call · Arrondissement of Avranches (near Vains), Manche, Normandy, France · CC0 · via xeno-canto

ID tip

The peregrine falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 cm (13–23 in) and a wingspan from 74 to 120 cm (29–47 in). The male and female have similar markings and plumage but, as with many birds of prey, the peregrine falcon displays marked sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30% larger than the male. Males weigh 330 to 1,000 g (12–35 oz) and the noticeably larger females weigh 700 to 1,500 g (25–53 oz).

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

When to see the Peregrine Falcon

One bar for each month, and every month is filled: this bird is recorded here in all twelve. The wide bar is October, the month with the most records.

Where to see the Peregrine Falcon

Regular rangeRare visitor

The map shades 208 countries with regular records, and 3 more in a lighter tone where the bird turns up only as a stray. Everything unshaded has no records. Countries are listed below the map.

United States Sweden Canada France Norway Spain Belgium United Kingdom Australia Mexico Taiwan India Germany Portugal South Africa Costa Rica Argentina Chile China Ireland Italy Peru Panama Finland Israel Türkiye Belize Netherlands Colombia Thailand Greece Brazil Ecuador South Korea Puerto Rico El Salvador Cuba Austria Poland Switzerland Honduras Denmark Czechia Hong Kong SAR China Malaysia Morocco Guatemala Trinidad & Tobago Nepal Venezuela Philippines Singapore Russia Aruba Georgia Bulgaria Nicaragua Isle of Man United Arab Emirates Cyprus Sri Lanka Hungary Falkland Islands Cayman Islands Bangladesh Indonesia Kenya Bahamas Curaçao Guadeloupe Senegal Bermuda Uruguay Ethiopia Guyana Ukraine Dominican Republic Madagascar Namibia Oman Tanzania Zimbabwe Iran Romania Cambodia Slovakia Gibraltar Paraguay Barbados Jamaica Bhutan Bolivia Azerbaijan Luxembourg Vietnam Algeria Palestinian Territories Greenland Caribbean Netherlands Uganda Myanmar (Burma) French Guiana Jersey Suriname U.S. Virgin Islands Mongolia Egypt Lithuania Tunisia Mozambique Kuwait Anguilla Kazakhstan St. Pierre & Miquelon Estonia Antigua & Barbuda Papua New Guinea Ghana Zambia Guernsey British Virgin Islands Pakistan Saudi Arabia St. Lucia Armenia Kyrgyzstan St. Martin Vanuatu Nigeria Macao SAR China Albania Angola Botswana St. Vincent & Grenadines Turks & Caicos Islands Yemen New Caledonia Montserrat Malta Cameroon Malawi Jordan Laos Timor-Leste Haiti Latvia Belarus Lesotho Mayotte Grenada Djibouti Martinique Congo - Kinshasa Eswatini Tajikistan Moldova Uzbekistan Mauritania Cape Verde Rwanda Fiji Japan Andorra Dominica Lebanon Iraq Croatia Guinea-Bissau Qatar St. Kitts & Nevis Iceland Vatican City Côte d’Ivoire St. Barthélemy Burkina Faso Gabon Guinea Brunei Benin Liberia Syria Monaco Sierra Leone Togo Equatorial Guinea Palau Sudan North Korea Comoros Bosnia & Herzegovina Northern Mariana Islands Niger Serbia Chad Eritrea Afghanistan Slovenia Solomon Islands Gambia Mali Liechtenstein San Marino Somalia Bahrain Turkmenistan North Macedonia Congo - Brazzaville Libya

Recorded as a rare visitor in Burundi, São Tomé & Príncipe, Guam.

About the Peregrine Falcon

The peregrine falcon, also referred to simply as the peregrine, is a bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae known for its speed. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts and a black head. As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males. Historically, the bird has also been known as the "black-cheeked falcon" in Australia and the "duck hawk" in North America.

Text adapted from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Easily confused with

MerlinFalco columbariusThe merlin is 24–33 cm (9.4–13.0 in) long with a 50–73 cm (20–29 in) wingspan.

Common KestrelFalco tinnunculusThe common kestrel measures 32–39 cm (12+1⁄2–15+1⁄2 in) from head to tail, with a wingspan of 65–82 cm (25+1⁄2–32+1⁄2 in).

Eurasian HobbyFalco subbuteoAdults are slate-grey above with a dark crown and two short black moustache stripes.

Side by side: American Kestrel vs Peregrine Falcon · Common Kestrel vs Peregrine Falcon · Merlin vs Peregrine Falcon · Crested Caracara vs Peregrine Falcon · Eurasian Hobby vs Peregrine Falcon

Watch the Peregrine Falcon on live cams

Cal Falcons, UC Berkeley Campanile stream preview — **Cal Falcons, UC Berkeley Campanile**Berkeley, California, USA · Cal Falcons

Chesapeake Peregrine Falcon Cam stream preview — **Chesapeake Peregrine Falcon Cam**Chesapeake Bay, Maryland, USA · Chesapeake Conservancy on explore.org

Great Spirit Bluff Falcons stream preview — **Great Spirit Bluff Falcons**La Crescent, Minnesota, USA · Raptor Resource Project on explore.org

Browse all 118 bird cams worldwide, live and seasonal, by region and species.

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