Facts about Falcons
- 10
Falcon eyries built on skyscraper ledges in cities like New York and Chicago have produced over 300 fledglings since the 1980s through urban peregrine reintroduction programs.
- 09
Falcon bones are hollow and reinforced with internal struts, reducing body weight while maintaining structural strength for sustained high-speed flight and aerial maneuvers.
- 08
The lanner falcon, native to Africa and southern Europe, hunts birds in flight by flying below its prey and striking upward with talons extended, a technique that exploits the blind spot beneath most birds.
- 07
Young falcons require approximately 40 days of intensive parental feeding before they develop sufficient wing strength and hunting skills to survive independently after fledging.
- 06
A falcon's eyesight is approximately 8 times sharper than human vision, enabling them to detect prey from distances exceeding 1 kilometer away.
- 05
Eurasian kestrels, the smallest falcon species, weigh only 136 to 252 grams and hunt insects and small rodents by hovering motionless in midair using rapid wing beats.
- 04
Gyrfalcons, the largest falcon species, weigh up to 2.6 kilograms and hunt prey as large as arctic hares and ptarmigans across circumpolar regions.
- 03
Falcons possess a specialized third eyelid called the nictitating membrane that protects their eyes during high-speed dives and pursuits through dense vegetation.
- 02
Peregrines mate for life and return to the same nesting cliff year after year, with some pairs occupying identical sites for over 20 consecutive years.
- 01
At 240 miles per hour, the peregrine falcon achieves the fastest speed of any animal on Earth during its hunting dive.