Peregrine Falcon  (Falco peregrinus)

Peregrine falcons, one of the most agile of all birds in flight, are more typical of the Falconidae. Called pigeon and duck hawks, they dive on their prey from great heights, attaining speeds as high as 280 kilometres per hour. True falcons are magnificent birds with long, powerful wings and short tails. They generally hunt from the air, and most kill aloft.

Peregrine falcons show the greatest agility of flight of all birds, and can probably reach 130 kilometres per hour in level flight. Often a pair of birds will hunt together, with one bird driving the prey within reach of the other. Among falconers the male is called a tercel or thirdling, from the belief that it is the third egg in a clutch that produces a male.