Peregrine falcon eating habits revolve mostly around birds but it may also occasionally prey on fish and other small mammals. Thereforeperegrine falcon diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds like small passerinescomprising 77 to 99 percent. Howeverat timesthey may also prey on mammalsfishinsects and amphibians. In mammalsthe most preferred animals are ratssquirrels and bats. They are also found to steal mice and fish from Ospreys. The habit of peregrine falcon eating prey does not remain constant but it varies with different kinds of habitats. So now let’s find out what do peregrine falcons eat in more detail!
What Do Peregrine Falcons Eat - Peregrine Falcon Diet -
- In treeless regions of tundrathey prefer to eat shorebirdsduckssnow buntings and longspurs (passerines) and ptarmigan.
- In boreal or snow foreststhey tend to prey mainly on thrushesjayswoodpeckers and shorebirds (or waders).
- On coastal marine areasthey usually eat alcidswaterfowlpodicipe-dids and procellarids.
- On interior continentalthe falcons prey on passerinescolumbids and swifts.
- In urban areasthey feed on columbidsrailspasserines and cuckoos. They are often found to prey on pigeons and doves in temperate continental climates.
- Peregrine falcons are also found to kill larger birds like Sandhill Cranesmall Canada goose and bald eaglethough most likely not for eating.
Do Peregrine Falcons Eat Fish?
The food of a peregrine falcon in North America comprises 429 bird species4 fish species13 species of mammals and 10 species of bat. Among insectsthe prey mainly includes cricketsdamselfliesgrasshoppers and dragonflies. All in allthe falcon eats around 1,500 to 2,000 bird species around the world.
Peregrine Falcon Eating Pigeon - What Do Peregrine Falcons Eat
Source:
WhiteClayton M.Nancy J. ClumTom J. Cade and W. Grainger Hunt. 2002. Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus)version 2.0. In The Birds of North America (P. G. Rodewaldeditor). Cornell Lab of OrnithologyIthacaNew YorkUSA. https://doi.org/10.2173/bna.660