Peregrine falcon
Videos
The peregrine falcon, also known simply as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed. It can reach over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop, making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.
Falco peregrinus. Royal National Park, New South Wales, Australia
Illustration by John James Audubon
Illustration of the subspecies babylonicus by John Gould
Urban wildlife
Videos
Urban wildlife is wildlife that can live or thrive in urban/suburban environments or around densely populated human settlements such as townships.
Urban wildlife: an eastern grey squirrel in Montreal scavenging for food in a garbage can
Pigeons intermingle with tourists in Venice
Blue tongued skink in suburban street in Canberra (10.2 cm storm water pipe in photo shows size)
Urban coyotes are often at the forefront of human-wildlife conflicts in areas of Los Angeles County due to their ability to adapt to urban environments.