A Peregrine Falcon Is the Fastest Animal Alive
A falcon is a fast-flying bird of prey. In a hunting dive the peregrine exceeds any other animal's recorded speed.
A falcon is a bird of prey with long pointed wings and remarkable speed. The peregrine falcon holds the record for any animal: in a hunting stoop it has been measured at over 300 kilometres an hour. Its nostrils contain small bony cones thought to manage the airflow at that speed, and a third eyelid keeps the eye clear.
- A bird of prey. *A peregrine falcon.*
- Falconry — hunting with trained birds. *Traditional falconry.*
- Falconer — one who keeps them. *A skilled falconer.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | falcon | A hunting falcon. |
| Plural | falcons | Two falcons. |
| Person | falconer | A master falconer. |
| Noun | falconry | The art of falconry. |
| Related | hawk | A sparrowhawk. |
How it is used in a sentence
- The peregrine stoops at over 300 km/h.The fastest recorded animal.
- Falcons kill with a notched beak.Hawks use their talons.
- Peregrines now nest on city buildings.Cliffs of a different kind.
Falconry terms
- Stoop — the high-speed hunting dive
- Jesses — the straps on a bird's legs
- Hood — the cover keeping the bird calm
- Mews — the housing, which named the London lanes
- Tiercel — a male falcon, about a third smaller than the female
From Late Latin *falco*, possibly from *falx*, a sickle, describing the wing shape or talons. Falconry reached Europe from Asia.
How fast is a peregrine?
Over 300 kilometres an hour in a stoop, which makes it the fastest animal ever recorded.
Falcon or hawk?
Falcons have long pointed wings and kill with a notched beak. Hawks have broader wings and kill with their talons.