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    The Fastest Bird

    BluePower
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    • Post n°1

    The Fastest Bird Empty The Fastest Bird

    Post by BluePower Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:03 am

    The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the Peregrine,[2] and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America,[3] is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". It can reach speeds over 322 km/h (200 mph) in a dive, making it the fastest animal in the world.[4] As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is much bigger than the male.[5][6] Experts recognize 17–19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary Falcon is a subspecies or a distinct species.
    The Peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the Tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread bird of prey.[7] Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.
    While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the Peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles or even insects. It reaches sexual maturity at one year, and mates for life. It nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures.[8] The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species in many areas due to the use of pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the beginning of the 1970s onwards, the populations recovered, supported by large scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.[9]
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    Last edited by BluePower on Tue Sep 29, 2009 6:39 am; edited 2 times in total
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    Jag$$$
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    • Post n°2

    The Fastest Bird Empty Re: The Fastest Bird

    Post by Jag$$$ Mon Sep 28, 2009 7:57 am

    Peregrine Falcons are the fastest birds in the worldTHE PEREGRINE is a large, compact falcon, measuring 14 to 18 inches (35 to 45 cm) long. The upper wings, crown and side of the head, are blue-gray, while the chest and leg feathers are white, flecked with short black horizontal stripes, increasing toward the feet (moreso on the female). Its hooked beak and outline around its large, dark eyes is yellowish.Its feet are large and possess dagger-like black claws.The birds tend to be darker in the norther regions and paler in the southerly and desert zones.
    The female is called the 'falcon' and the male is the 'tiercel' (from the latin tierce; a reference to the fact that the male is about a third smaller than the female).
    There are eighteen identifiable subspecies of Peregrine throughout the world, inhabiting all continents except Antartica. They are often found near sea cliffs or mountainous country though it can be found cruising open locales for prey. Peregrines from northern regions typically fly south to warmer climes during the winter months.
    The Peregrine is considered an excellent flyer and a supreme hunter among birds of prey. Since ancient times in the Middle East, falconry and carries great prestige and Peregrines are highly prized by Arab falconers. From the Middle Ages to recent times, the Peregrine has been a favorite choice as a falconer's bird in Britain. It hunts for birds ranging in size from small Passerines to those as large as Geese. Typical prey includes Pigeons, Gulls, Ducks, and even Herons. It will also eat small mammals, reptiles, and insects.
    Attacking with its wings drawn almost to its sides, a Peregrine's deadly accurate dive (or 'stoop') speed has been recorded between 65 to 250 mph (400 km/h).The speed of the strike alone, and the damage inflicted by the Peregrine's hind claw (ripping open the bird's back or removing its head) is often sufficient for the Peregrine to kill its victim. However, if not killed in flight, the prey will invariably die upon impact with the earth upon its release after striking. When retrieved, the prey is partly plucked before being eaten — a pile of feathers is a fair indication that a Peregrine is in the area.

    . Once highly prolific and widespread throughout the world, Peregrine Falcons were commonly used throughout Europe, Asia and the Middle East in the practice of Falconry. Peregrines are naturally docile and easily lent themselves to taming by humans who saw the Falcon's hunting prowess as an asset in hunting for food. The Peregrine’s magnificent speed and power also made it the favorite bird for falconers in the Middle Ages. The female, which is slightly larger and more powerful than the male, was preferred, and only she is given the title of “falcon.” A male Peregrine is referred to as a “tiercel” meaning third. Although falconry has fallen out of favor, there are still those who practice it today.Peregrine Falcons are raptors - which means they are birds which hunt and kill for food. They are very well adapted to the hunt, with strong, sharp, curved beaks for tearing flesh, large, keen eyes for viewing prey at great distances, and sharp, powerful claws (called talons) for clutching, and grasping their quarry.

    Other birds, such as pigeons, blackbirds, ducks, and pheasants, are the falcons's usual prey. Peregrines' incredible speed is the primary weapon used to kill their prey during the hunt. When they get ready to strike, they close their talons and strike the bird in a plunging dive, usually knocking the bird unconscious with a single blow. The force of the initial strike is so severe that the bird is usually killed on impact. As the victim falls through the air the falcon circles back and picks its prey out of the air with its claws. If the bird survives the initial blow, the Peregrine will break its neck with a quick strike of its powerful beak to the bird’s spine. The Peregrine Falcon is easily recognizable as distinct from other raptors. It has black feathers on its head, sort of in the pattern of a helmet, with dark feathers around its beak that look kind of like a dark mustache (remember "mutton chops" in the 1970s?) You could say it looks like a "biker" hawk. The feathers on its back are dark, with a bluish cast. The tips of the falcon's wings are very sharply "pointed", making a striking and unique silhouette during flight.
    The peregrine is the fastest bird on record reaching horizontal cruising speeds of 65-90 kmh ( 40-55 mph) and not exceeding speeds of 105-110 kmh (65-68 mph). When stooping, the peregrine flies at much greater speeds however, varying from 160-440 kmh (99-273 mph)!

    Pairs of Peregrines mate for life, usually setting up housekeeping high in the cliffs. Since we're running out of cliffs in Europe and the U.S. Peregrines have taken to building their nests up on top of high rise buildings in large cities. Peregrine nests are called scrapes, or eyries and baby falcons are called eyasses. Although they have a high mortality rate, Peregrines have been known to live as long as 15 years. If you don't believe the stories about the incredible speed of the Peregrine Falcon, then watch this video demonstration of a falcon being clocked at diving speeds of over 200mph!The Peregrine's nesting site, anaerie or eyrie, is frequently a ledge or hole in a cliff face. The falcons devote little time to building the nest, simply scraping out a shallow basin in stones or soil, or reusing an existing nest of a Raven or Crow. In coastal locales Peregrines nest among steep ocean cliffs where they prey upon nesting seabirds. Some nest sites continue to be used year after year — some for as long as centuries.
    The female will lay one brood of 3 to 4 oval-shaped eggs, creamy-buff in color and usually covered by red-brown markings. In the Northern Hemisphere this usually takes place in mid-April. Both sexes will take turns incubating the eggs for 28 to 32 days when the white-downy chicks eyasses, hatch. Both parents are attentative to their young and will hunt and return with food which is torn up and fed in small strips.The eyasses will leave the nest after six weeks but will remain with their parents until the autumn, after which they will strike out on their own.Prior to World War II the Peregrine was widespread but uncommon in North America and Europe. However, extensive use of DDT, an organochlorine pesticide applied in massive quantities worldwide for agricultural use during the mid-1940's took a terrible toll on the species, exterminating it totally in some areas. The toxin broke down to a more stable form DDE, and made its way into natural ecosystems where it remained potent for decades. Moving up the food chain and eventually ingested by Peregrines, DDE accumulated in concentrated quantities in the fatty tissues causing death, infertility, or disrupting the female's calcium metabolism and producing thin-shelled eggs which easily crushed under the weight of an incubating adult.
    Peregrine populations in the eastern United States, Canada, and Europe were devasted by this chemical. Before the advent of DDT a unique and stable form of the species, the Eastern Peregrine, comprising of about 800 Peregrines, nested across a vast area incorporating the Appalacians from Georgia to Maine and on to Quebec, and as far west as the Mississipi Valley and the Great Lakes. By the mid-1960's however, the birds had been completely exterminated.
    West of the Great Plains, though Peregrines survived as a species, their numbers reduced to 10% of what they were prior to the advent of DDT. In the Artic areas of Canada and Alaska — far from the agricultural areas where DDT was employed — the species still died. They were exposed to the toxin when visiting their South American wintering grounds. Only along the Pacific coastline of Canada and Alaska was the species spared from most of the devistation due to the tendency of this localized subspecies, called Peale's Peregrine by taxonomists, to feed on uncontaminated seabirds.By 1965, ornithologists began to conduct conferences to discuss the tragic loss of this bird; it was estimated that by 1970 all Peregrines would be extinct. The general use of DDT was banned by the Canadian government in 1969, and by the United States in 1972. Both nations then drew up recovery plans for the endangered falcon. The US 'Endangered Species Act' of 1973 came too late to save the eastern Peregrine population but it provided protection for falcons still living elsewhere; the American Peregrine and the Artic Peregrine were both classified as endangered.
    In Canada, peregrines have been on the endangered species list since 1977, at which time there were no known breeding pairs in the province of Ontario.
    Today, with assistance from wildlife resource management teams in Canada and the US, Peregrine populations are begining to see a comeback, though their precarious status is still far from secure. As of the year 2000, there are 23 known breeding pairs of peregrines in Ontario. When the total reaches 40, they will be removed from the endangered list.The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the Peregrine,[2] and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America,[3] is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". It can reach speeds over 322 km/h (200 mph) in a dive, making it the fastest animal in the world.[4] As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is much bigger than the male.[5][6] Experts recognize 17–19 subspecies, which vary in appearance and range; there is disagreement over whether the distinctive Barbary Falcon is a subspecies or a distinct species.

    The Peregrine's breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the Tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests; the only major ice-free landmass from which it is entirely absent is New Zealand. This makes it the world's most widespread bird of prey.[7] Both the English and scientific names of this species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations.

    While its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the Peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles or even insects. It reaches sexual maturity at one year, and mates for life. It nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures.[8] The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species in many areas due to the use of pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the beginning of the 1970s onwards, the populations recovered, supported by large scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.


    The Fastest Bird Peregr11The Fastest Bird Peregr12 The Fastest Bird Images10The Fastest Bird Caanxg10


    Last edited by Jag$$$ on Mon Sep 28, 2009 8:05 am; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : forgot to put something on.)
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