Species Info: Peregrine Falcon
Peregrine Falcon is the common name. The scientific name is Falco peregrinus. The name means "wandering falcon." Peregrines are a species of the order Falconiformes, family Falconidae, which includes 39 species of falcons.
The peregrine is one of six falcons found in the United States. The others are gyrfalcon, prairie falcon, merlin, American kestrel, and the aplomado falcon.
The peregrine falcon is cosmopolitan, meaning that the species is found around the world, from the Arctic to South America. The subspecies found in the Eastern United States is anatum, and referred to as the American peregrine falcon.
For more information about identification, life history and range of the peregrine falcon visit All About Birds - Cornell University
City Life for a Peregrine Falcon
City life provides many benefits to peregrine falcons. Abundant prey such as pigeons, blue jays and other small birds are available throughout the year. A city's many tall buildings provide plenty of high perches and ledges that mimic cliffs where peregrine falcons commonly nest. The covered ledge at the Rachel Carson State Office Building provides the falcons shelter from severe weather. There is also less risk from predator great horned owls at an urban nest.
Of course, city life can pose some challenges for urban falcons, particularly when the young fledglings are learning to fly. Fledglings sometimes collide with nearby buildings or land in traffic. Staff from Department of Environmental Protection and Pennsylvania Game Commission work closely together to minimize disturbances to the nest. Each year, a team of volunteers conduct a falcon watch and rescue program to keep an eye on the young falcons as they take their first flights. Volunteers watch with binoculars and alert DEP environmental educators when a falcon may be in trouble. Staff capture, examine and then release the grounded fledglings.
Urban falcons can also face risks when they're exposed to environmental toxins like avicides sometimes used to control pigeons. They also face disease, primarily the potentially fatal trichomoniasis, a protozoan infection that is contracted when an infected pigeon is fed to the nestlings.
The Rachel Carson Connection
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson was born on May 27, 1907, in Springdale, Pennsylvania, a small town north of Pittsburgh. As an adult, Carson worked for the government as a scientist and writer.
Carson studied the role of poisons in the environment. Her book, "Silent Spring", published in 1962, addressed the dangers posed by DDT.
The evidence was undisputedly conclusive that DDT interfered with calcium metabolism in birds at the top of the food chain. With no mechanism to excrete or breakdown DDT, birds at the top of the food chain accumulated DDT as they ate smaller birds, which, in turn, ate insects exposed to DDT. This is called bioaccumulation. The interference with calcium metabolism caused thinning eggshells that broke easily.
Peregrine falcons, bald eagles and ospreys that are making an impressive comeback thanks to the environmental ethics and foreword thinking of people like Rachel Carson. It is a happy irony, indeed, that these peregrine falcons chose to reside on the Rachel Carson State Office Building in Harrisburg, which was named in her honor.
Google Earth Tour
Check out this Google Earth tour to see the location of the peregrine falcon ledge at the Rachel Carson State Office Building.
Falcon Frequently Asked Questions
Falcon Chronology | Falcon Seasonal Calendar | Falcon Timeline
It all began in 1996, when a male peregrine was seen in Harrisburg. Officials from the Pennsylvania Game Commission scouted downtown locations for a suitable site to place a nest tray to see if it would attract a pair of peregrine falcons. The Rachel Carson State Office building was selected since it had a covered ledge 15 stories above the ground. A nest tray was placed on the ledge, and the following spring, the male returned with a female peregrine. The falcons pair-bonded and hopes were high that they would reproduce. After failing to produce eggs during both the 1997 and 1998 nesting seasons, it became clear that more information was needed regarding the history of these two birds. Because the male was not banded, there was no way to know his origin. Since the female was banded her origin was quickly determined. It was learned that her father was an escaped falconer's bird and a hybrid. Because the young female was of hybrid origin, she was probably infertile.
After careful consideration and under the direction of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the female was live captured on April 28, 1999, and taken to the National Aviary in Pittsburgh. In 2003, Cleo, as she was named, was transferred to the Animal Rescue League Wildlife Center in Verona, Allegheny County as an education bird.
Meanwhile, back in Harrisburg, within one week of removing the first female, the male was seen with a new female. From her alphanumeric leg band information (4/4), we learned that she fledged from the Girard Point Bridge in Philadelphia in 1998. She was the first falcon that fledged from a bridge to be rediscovered at another nest site, in Pennsylvania. In 2000, the pair produced four offspring.
No. In December 2004, the original male peregrine was discovered with an injured wing at the Harrisburg Transportation Center located across the street from the building. After treatment at a local wildlife rehabilitator, the original male falcon became an education bird at Hershey Park Zoo America, since he was not able to be released into the wild. He later escaped back into the wild after a squirrel chewed through netting in his cage. The second male, banded W/V, arrived in March 2005 and was the resident male for a remarkable run of 15 years. The current male, banded 85/AK, arrived in March of 2021.
The current female is the fourth female peregrine falcon to nest at the Harrisburg site. The first female (hybrid) was here from 1997-1998; the second female (4/4) nested from 1999-2010; the third female, who was not banded, nested from 2010 – 2012; and the current female (48/AE) first appeared at the ledge in June 2012.
By their leg band codes, our current female (48/AE) fledged from the Pennsylvania/New Jersey Turnpike Bridge over the Delaware River in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, in 2009. Our current male, banded 85/AK, fledged in 2017 from the Transamerica Building located in Baltimore, Maryland.
A peregrine's diet consists of song birds and other migratory birds. Living in an urban environment, the resident falcons tend to feed on pigeons, blue jays, woodpeckers and other small birds.
Peregrine falcons are strong fliers and reportedly the fastest bird in the world. Their average cruising flight speed is 24 to 33 mph, increasing to 67 mph when in pursuit of prey. When stooping, or dropping on prey with closed wings, it has been calculated that this falcon can achieve speeds of over 200 mph. That's approximately 50 mph faster than the top speed of the Golden Eagle.
Mortality is very high in the first year of life -- between 60 and 80 percent. Those few peregrines that survive to old age may reach 12 to 15 years. Most peregrines become sexually mature at two or three years of age.
It can be difficult. Like some other raptors, the female is larger than the male, but their markings and colors are very similar.
They are identifiable by their leg band information: the male has a leg band that is black and green with 85/AK, and the female's leg band is black and green with 48/AE.
No. We do not give names to the peregrines since they are wild animals and not like pets. Some scientists worry that giving human names to wild animals leads to anthropomorphizing, which means talking about a thing or animal as if it were human. We identify the peregrines by their band numbers. Though if a falcon becomes injured and cannot be released back to the wild, it is often given a name at the rehabilitation center. This was the case for the building's first male, named Carson.
There have been three males and four female adult peregrines.
The female stays at the ledge throughout the year. The climate is suitable, and there is plenty of prey available throughout the winter. In previous years, the male banded W/V would leave the area around December and return in February. We're not really sure where he would go. That said, it's risky to leave the nesting area, as another peregrine may try to take over the site.
Banding young peregrines provides important information on the birds' movements and is essential to understanding their habitat needs year-round. The nestlings are removed from the nest box or natural nest site for a short time and metal bands are placed on the bird's legs. These bands are uniquely lettered and numbered so that if the falcons are observed later, or found injured or dead, they can be identified. When the birds are banded, their overall health and condition are evaluated.
Room with a View
Peregrine falcons have made their home year after year on the 15th floor of the Rachel Carson State Office Building in downtown Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. They are followed by four cameras, including infrared for nighttime viewing, streaming full-time year-round to give the residents of Pennsylvania and the world a glimpse into the life of these magnificent creatures.
PA Game Commission
The Pennsylvania Game Commission manages all wild birds and mammals within the Commonwealth and oversees hunting seasons and bag limits, the authority and responsibility to oversee falconry has been vested by state law with the agency.
