Falcons

This is Squirt's Falcon report page. My page is mainly about Peregrine Falcons, but it also has facts on other falcon

**100 Facts on Falcons**  Separate Facts
 * 1) Peregrine Falcons have a wingspan of about 31–47 inches
 * 2) Peregrine Falcons have black mustache mark on face
 * 3) A Peregrine Falcon is about the size of a large crow
 * 4) Immature Peregrine Falcons much browner with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere
 * 5) Peregrine display marked //sexual dimorphism// in size, with the female measuring up to 30 percent larger than the male
 * 6) Peregrine eggs are incubated for 29 to 33 days
 * 7) Both the male and female incubate the eggs
 * 8) After five to seven weeks Peregrine chicks are able to fly
 * 9) Adult Peregrine Falcons lay 3-4 eggs yearly
 * 10) After hatching, the chicks remain dependent on their parents for up to two months
 * 11) All Peregrine Falcons are matured after one year
 * 12) Peregrine Falcons nest in scrape, normally on cliff edges
 * 13) Peregrine are equipped with tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speeds and to change direction rapidly
 * 14) Peregrine Falcons have adapted to living the cities that offer
 * 15)  The upper beak of a Peregrine is notched near the tip which enables them to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck
 * 16) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons breed in regions everywhere, from the <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Tropics to the Arctic <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Tundra
 * 17) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons make themselves at home worldwide
 * 18) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine experienced a dramatic population decline between 1950 and 1965, mainly due to pesticide use and habitat loss
 * 19) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons were on the endangered list from //1950s-1970s// due to pesticide such as DDT
 * 20) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">//Black Marketeers// often try to steel Peregrine eggs and chicks
 * 21) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">A Peregrine Falcon falcon's diet consists of doves, waterfowl, songbirds and pigeons
 * 22) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine will occasionally feed on mammals such as rats, voles, hares, mice and squirrels
 * 23) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons can reach a top speed of 200 mph while diving
 * 24) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons weigh about 2.2 pounds
 * 25) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine have 19 regional variants (subspecies) of peregrine falcon worldwide
 * 26) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Falcons can be found anywhere except for rainforests and cold, dry Arctic regions
 * 27) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Southern Palearctic and island populations of peregrine falcon are resident, and do not migrate
 * 28) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Average lifespan in the wild: Up to 17 years
 * 29) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrines hunt from above and, after sighting their prey, drop into a steep, swift dive
 * 30) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace"> Peregrine falcons are among the world's most common birds of prey and live on all continents except Antarctica
 * 31) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Falcons can very territorial during mating season, and when the eggs have hatched
 * 32) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine Falcons mate for life
 * 33) <span style="font-family: 'Courier New',Courier,monospace">Peregrine frequently nest near water on ledges of rocky cliffs or buildings, but occasionally will use abandoned stick nests of other species

Sources

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habitat/wildlife/peregrine_falcon.php http://www.peregrinefund.org/explore_raptors/falcons/peregrin.html