Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Formerly known as “Duck Hawk”, the Peregrine Falcon earned its old moniker. It specializes in hunting most forms of waterfowl, shorebirds, gulls, terns, and about any birds found in marshes and adjoining fields. This bird was on the brink of extinction because of pesticides, but has made a remarkable recovery, given its recent protected status.
Peregrine Falcons are one of the most widely spread birds in the world. They make their homes on every continent but Antarctica.
For more than a thousand years, humans around the world have trained raptors to hunt for our benefit. Raptors of all sizes, from eagles to kestrels qualify for this role. But falconers prize no bird more than the Peregrine Falcon for this method of hunting.
Today, science recognizes nineteen subspecies of Peregrine Falcon. We find the following members in the New World:
- F. p. anatum lives in North America south of the tundra to northern Mexico, but not in the Pacific Northwest.
- F. p. tundrius lives in the Arctic tundra of North America from Alaska to Greenland.
- F. p. pealei lives in the Pacific Northwest from Washington to western Alaska, the Aleutian and Commander Islands.
- F. p. cassini lives in South America.
Most of my meetings with wild Peregrine Falcons have been in various California locations. But while on a science expedition to the Revillagigedo Islands off the coast of southern Mexico, I encountered these birds too.
20 Photos
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Poe Road. Salton Sea NWR and Vicinity. Imperial County, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:10:12 8:04 |
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Location:
Poe Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X3061-PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Raptor on patrol at Poe Road. Salton Sea NWR and Vicinity. Imperial County, California. |
Date Taken: 2011:10:12 8:04 |
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Location:
Poe Road |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/3200 |
File Name: D3X3062-PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2011 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Female adult, near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 6:38 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X8203-PeregrineFalcon-Female |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Female adult, near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 7:15 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1600 |
File Name: D3X8237-PeregrineFalcon-Female |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Immature bird near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 7:52 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1250 |
File Name: D3X8258-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Immature bird near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 8:16 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/800 |
File Name: D3X8298-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Male adult, near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 9:13 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X8340-PeregrineFalcon-Male |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Captive Hunting Falcon. Visiting near Wilcox, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2001:12:31 10:25 |
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Location:
Cochise |
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Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A1L31a11-PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2001 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Captive Hunting Falcon. Visiting near Wilcox, Arizona. |
Date Taken: 2001:12:31 10:25 |
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Location:
Cochise |
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Camera Information: Nikon SUPER COOLSCAN 4000 ED, |
File Name: A1L31a34-PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2001 - Jack Daynes - shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Female adult, near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 6:38 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: Cut_D3X8203-PeregrineFalcon-Female |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Sacramento NWR, near Willows, Northern California. |
Date Taken: 2003:12:17 13:05 |
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Location:
Norman |
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Camera Information: NIKON D1X, 800 mm, f/6.3, 1/1600 |
File Name: JCD_4989PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2003 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Immature bird near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 8:17 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/1000 |
File Name: D3X8303-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTree-Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Immature bird near The Cove. La Jolla, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:05:24 6:28 |
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Location:
La Jolla Cove |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/2500 |
File Name: D3X8180-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Up to no good at the Tijuana River Mouth and Border Field in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2012:09:08 9:24 |
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Location:
Border Field |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/5000 |
File Name: D3X8628-PeregrineFalcon |
| © 2012 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Juvenile at the beach by Border Field and the Tijuana River Mouth in Imperial Beach, California. San Diego County. |
Date Taken: 2013:08:23 8:44 |
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Location:
Border Field |
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Camera Information: NIKON D3X, 800 mm, f/5.6, 1/6400 |
File Name: D3X1590-PeregrineFalcon-Juvenile |
| © 2013 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: An unexpected flyover at Isla San Beneticto, the first of our stops to the islands of the Archipiélago de Revillagigedo, Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2017:02:14 11:29 |
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Location:
Beach Landing |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/6400 |
File Name: PeregrineFalcon_D5X7208 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Out to sea, and beyond the view of the shoreline, this bird was an unexpected sighting. Seen on the second day of the expedition to Archipiélago de Revillagigedo on board the Shogun. Between Ensenada, San Roque and Acencion, Mexico. |
Date Taken: 2017:02:10 11:44 |
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Location:
Off Shore |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 550 mm, f/8.0, 1/8000 |
File Name: PeregrineFalcon_D5X4387 |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: The channel entering Morro Bay is a great place to meet Sea Otters and many birds. San Juis Obisbo County California. |
Date Taken: 2017:09:17 14:29 |
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Location:
Morro Bay |
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Camera Information: NIKON D5, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/2000 |
File Name: PeregrineFalcon_D5X4331-MorroBay |
| © 2017 Jack Daynes, shadeTree Imaging |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: Seen at the Merced National Wildlife Reserve on 2019-01-26, twelve miles southwest of the town of Merced, Merced County California (USA). |
Date Taken: 2019:01:26 15:50 |
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Location:
Merced NWR |
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Camera Information: NIKON D500, 500 mm, f/10.0, 1/1600 |
File Name: PeregrineFalcon_D507768-Merced-NWR |
| © 2019 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
Peregrine Falcon(Falco peregrinus) |
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Description: One of my favorite regions to explore is California’s central coast. Always a favorite stop for me in Morro Bay, is the inlet at the north end of the bay, where Morro Rock imposes its presence on the coastline, and several pairs of Peregrine Falcons nest high on its cliffs. |
Date Taken: 2022:03:01 13:43 |
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Location:
Morro Rock |
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Camera Information: NIKON D850, 800 mm, f/8.0, 1/800 |
File Name: PeregrineFalcon_8501577-MorroBay |
| © 2022 Jack Daynes, shadeTreeImaging.com |
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