… these five interesting facts about peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus)?
- Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on earth. One falcon who was trained to follow human skydivers reached a top speed of 389 km/ hr during a dive.
- They have the largest natural distribution of any bird - rivalled only by barn owls, ravens and osprey.
- While migrating, they can travel over 1000 km/ day.
- Most peregrines from Alberta overwinter in Venezuela and Brazil.
- In the 1970s, Alberta’s population of peregrines dropped to only one productive pair. As of 2015, that population has grown to more than 65 pairs!
Peregrine falcon, Photo Credit: James Dowling-Healey Licence: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/