Peregrine Falcon Fact Sheet
Alberta Environmental Protection, Wildlife Management Division
The Peregrine Species:
Peregrine Falcon is the common name: the scientific name is Falco peregrinus. The name means "wandering falcon".
Peregrines are a species of the order Falconiformes, family Falconidae which includes 39 species of falcons. The peregrine is one of five falcons found in Canada. The others are Gyrfalcon, Prairie Falcon, Merlin, and Kestrel
Peregrines: Growth and Developement:
Peregrine nest ledges are usually on cliffs or sometimes, tall buildings. The male and female falcon will "pair" in the spring. Their courtship is marked by special flight patterns, and by the male bringing the female food.
The female peregrine lays her eggs at two-to-three day intervals, until her clutch has three to five eggs. She shares the duties of incubation with her mate for approximately 33 days. The eyasses, or baby falcons, hatch after spending about two days "pipping" the shells with the sharp eggtooth on their beaks.
At hatching, eyasses weigh approximately 1 1/2 ounces, are covered in a fluffy white down, and grow rapidly. Their down is replaced by feathers in three to five weeks and they are essentially full grown at six weeks of age.
Males develop a little faster than females. Females, however, are larger and more powerful when full grown.
Captive-raised birds released into the wild by the Hack Method are placed in the hack box at approximately 35 days of age. Between 40 and 45 days of age, young falcons begin to fly - a scary experience for the first few days. After about five days on the wing, the young falcons are much more adept.
Juvenile birds begin to hunt for food and care for themselves at nine to 12 weeks. First prey successfully hunted may be small game such as dragonflies and butterflies, but will soon improve to include small birds.
Dispersal from the hack site occurs in mid-August to early September as the falcons prepare for their migration south to Latin America. When the juvenile falcons return the following spring they will begin to moult into adult plumage
Relased birds may return to their release site or the general area, or may wander hundreds of miles away. Mortality in the first year of life is very high. Those few peregrines that survive to old age may reach 12 to 15 years.
Most peregrines become sexually mature at two or three years of age. Occasionally egg-laying and territorial behaviour may occur earlier.
An adult peregrine can reach a speed of over 300 km per hour in a vertical dive called a stoop; in level flight they average about 50 km per hour.
Canadian Pergrine Falcon Recovery
The Alberta Release program is one element in the integrated Canadian recovery program which focuses on restoring wild peregrine falcons throughout their historic range.
Mass hacking has already been used successfully in New Brunswick, Quebec and Ontario to restore natural populations.
National, provincial and territorial agencies and non-government organizations work together through the National Peregrine Falcon Recovery Team to plan and coordinate national recovery efforts.