1 00:00:01,840 --> 00:00:07,520 Speaker 1: Welcome to Brainstuff, a production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff 2 00:00:07,560 --> 00:00:12,040 Speaker 1: Lauren vogelbaumb Here. In two thousand and five, a fellow 3 00:00:12,119 --> 00:00:16,040 Speaker 1: named Ken Franklin of Friday Harbor, Washington, used a computer 4 00:00:16,160 --> 00:00:18,200 Speaker 1: chip to clock the diving speed of one of the 5 00:00:18,200 --> 00:00:21,799 Speaker 1: peregrine falcons he owned by the name of Frightful, a 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:24,360 Speaker 1: six year old bird weighing in at a little over 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:26,640 Speaker 1: two pounds or a little less than one ki low. 8 00:00:27,720 --> 00:00:31,240 Speaker 1: The result the bird dove after prey from about three 9 00:00:31,280 --> 00:00:34,240 Speaker 1: miles in the air or five kilometers, at a speed 10 00:00:34,360 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: of two hundred and forty two miles an hour. That's 11 00:00:37,120 --> 00:00:40,440 Speaker 1: three hundred and eighty nine kilometers an hour, and with 12 00:00:40,560 --> 00:00:43,440 Speaker 1: that speedy swoop broke a Guinness World record for the 13 00:00:43,479 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: fastest dive by a bird, furthermore, making the peregrine falcon 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:52,760 Speaker 1: one of the world's fastest animals. Period Referred to as 15 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:56,120 Speaker 1: global birds, the peagrine falcon can be spotted on every 16 00:00:56,120 --> 00:01:00,279 Speaker 1: continent except Antarctica, traveling long distances between their wintery and 17 00:01:00,400 --> 00:01:06,600 Speaker 1: breeding grounds. Their taxonomical name is Falco peregrinus. Peregrinas means 18 00:01:06,680 --> 00:01:11,360 Speaker 1: traveler in Latin. They're also unofficially known as the great 19 00:01:11,400 --> 00:01:15,640 Speaker 1: footed hawk, the ledge hawk, stonehawk, rock hawk, bullet hawk, 20 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:21,520 Speaker 1: and wandering falcon. A North American peregrine falcons can be 21 00:01:21,600 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 1: migratory or non migratory, with some residing year round in Alaska, 22 00:01:25,760 --> 00:01:29,920 Speaker 1: the Southwest, Midwest, and northeast, while others migrate annually from 23 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:33,000 Speaker 1: South America and the Gulf Coast to the Alaskan tundra. 24 00:01:34,959 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 1: Before the article, this episode is based on Hastuff Works 25 00:01:37,600 --> 00:01:40,360 Speaker 1: spoke by email with Rick Schwortz, a San Diego Zoo 26 00:01:40,440 --> 00:01:45,400 Speaker 1: Global Ambassador. He explained they prefer wide open spaces and 27 00:01:45,480 --> 00:01:48,720 Speaker 1: do well near coasts where shore birds are common, but 28 00:01:48,800 --> 00:01:51,800 Speaker 1: can be found from the tundra to deserts to forests. 29 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: They are strong, efficient flyers and skilled at catching a 30 00:01:56,120 --> 00:01:59,600 Speaker 1: variety of prey. This versatility allows them to live in 31 00:01:59,640 --> 00:02:03,440 Speaker 1: almost any type of climate and habitat. Basically, they can 32 00:02:03,480 --> 00:02:07,960 Speaker 1: live wherever they can find food. A peregrine falcons are 33 00:02:08,000 --> 00:02:11,000 Speaker 1: some of the largest falcons in North America, weighing up 34 00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:12,840 Speaker 1: to three and a half pounds or about one and 35 00:02:12,840 --> 00:02:15,280 Speaker 1: a half kilos, with a wingspan of up to forty 36 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:17,760 Speaker 1: eight inches and a body length of up to twenty inches. 37 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:21,480 Speaker 1: That's about one hundred and twenty by fifty centimeters. They 38 00:02:21,520 --> 00:02:25,440 Speaker 1: have long, pointed wings and a long tail. A Schwartz said. 39 00:02:25,840 --> 00:02:29,399 Speaker 1: Adults are blue gray above, with their underside having alternate 40 00:02:29,440 --> 00:02:33,080 Speaker 1: bands of colors, and a dark head with thick sideburns. 41 00:02:33,120 --> 00:02:36,200 Speaker 1: They have sharp yellow talons to catch their prey, and 42 00:02:36,400 --> 00:02:41,480 Speaker 1: as with most raptors, males are smaller than females. A 43 00:02:41,520 --> 00:02:44,880 Speaker 1: pearagrine falcons use those talons and incredible eye sight to 44 00:02:45,040 --> 00:02:48,959 Speaker 1: capture other birds even while in flight. They eat mostly 45 00:02:49,040 --> 00:02:51,520 Speaker 1: other birds, with about four hundred and fifty North American 46 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:55,200 Speaker 1: species having been documented as prey by the National Wildlife Federation. 47 00:02:56,120 --> 00:02:58,760 Speaker 1: Among them are birds as large as sand hill cranes 48 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:02,960 Speaker 1: and as small as hummingbirds, as well as shorebirds, ducks, gulls, pigeons, 49 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,800 Speaker 1: and songbirds. They also eat bats, and they often swipe 50 00:03:06,800 --> 00:03:11,320 Speaker 1: fish and rodents from other raptors. A Schwartz said, a 51 00:03:11,400 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: hunting peregrine typically catches its prey in the air with 52 00:03:14,720 --> 00:03:18,920 Speaker 1: fast pursuits, rapid dives, and other impressive aerial maneuvers for 53 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: which these falcons are known and admired. Peregrine falcons will 54 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: sometimes dismember their prey and eat it in flight, or 55 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:28,359 Speaker 1: they will land with their prey in a safe spot, 56 00:03:28,560 --> 00:03:32,120 Speaker 1: pluck the feathers and eat. They also have a sharp 57 00:03:32,200 --> 00:03:33,919 Speaker 1: tooth at the end of their beat that they can 58 00:03:34,040 --> 00:03:39,480 Speaker 1: use to sever their prey's neck. They're near the top 59 00:03:39,520 --> 00:03:41,920 Speaker 1: of the food chain, meaning they have very few predators 60 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:44,600 Speaker 1: except for other large birds of prey like the great 61 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:49,320 Speaker 1: horned owl. Their speed certainly helps with this, and their 62 00:03:49,360 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: teardrop shaped body is one of the most aero dynamic 63 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:55,560 Speaker 1: designs known in nature. In fact, it's been studied and 64 00:03:55,680 --> 00:04:00,360 Speaker 1: copied by airplane manufacturers for decades. A housetuff Work also 65 00:04:00,360 --> 00:04:03,080 Speaker 1: spoke by an email with Nicole Ellis, a pet expert 66 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:06,800 Speaker 1: and certified trainer. As she said, they are rocketing down 67 00:04:06,840 --> 00:04:09,680 Speaker 1: from the sky is like a blur. The force from 68 00:04:09,680 --> 00:04:12,080 Speaker 1: the air traveling at such a speed would explode the 69 00:04:12,080 --> 00:04:15,920 Speaker 1: bird's lungs, but baffles in the nose prevent this. Just 70 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:19,120 Speaker 1: another feature that's been studied and used in jet engines. 71 00:04:19,680 --> 00:04:22,880 Speaker 1: Sophisticated membranes in the bird's eyes prevent them from drying 72 00:04:22,880 --> 00:04:27,400 Speaker 1: out so the predator can remain fixed on the target. 73 00:04:27,760 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 1: Although these birds aren't necessarily homebodies, they are devoted partners. 74 00:04:32,320 --> 00:04:35,040 Speaker 1: Schwartz said they mate for life and return to the 75 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,159 Speaker 1: same nesting spot each year. When looking for a mate, 76 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:40,880 Speaker 1: male peregrine falcons have to work hard to impress the 77 00:04:40,920 --> 00:04:44,559 Speaker 1: females and to keep her attention. Males bring females food 78 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:48,039 Speaker 1: during the courting and nesting season. She frequently takes the 79 00:04:48,040 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: prey from him while they are both in flight, by 80 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:52,760 Speaker 1: turning upside down in mid air and grabbing the food 81 00:04:52,839 --> 00:04:57,840 Speaker 1: out of his talons. The peregrine falcon is considered one 82 00:04:57,839 --> 00:05:01,360 Speaker 1: of the world's most common birds of prey. Schwartz explained 83 00:05:01,720 --> 00:05:04,800 Speaker 1: in the mid nineteen hundreds, pesticides had a devastating effect 84 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,480 Speaker 1: on many bird species in North America, including peregrine falcons, 85 00:05:08,640 --> 00:05:12,159 Speaker 1: and their numbers dwindled. Today, thanks to the work of 86 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:15,479 Speaker 1: the Paragrine Fund and many other organizations, the paragrine is 87 00:05:15,520 --> 00:05:21,240 Speaker 1: listed as a species of Least Concern. However, these birds 88 00:05:21,279 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 1: are best appreciated out in nature. A note that it's 89 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:27,400 Speaker 1: illegal to own any bird of prey in the United States, 90 00:05:27,800 --> 00:05:31,320 Speaker 1: the only exceptions being licensed falconers in all states except 91 00:05:31,360 --> 00:05:35,320 Speaker 1: Hawaii and the District of Columbia. As Schwartz said, acquiring 92 00:05:35,360 --> 00:05:38,039 Speaker 1: a falcon re license in the US requires passing a 93 00:05:38,080 --> 00:05:42,440 Speaker 1: state written test, having equipment and facilities inspected, and serving 94 00:05:42,520 --> 00:05:45,000 Speaker 1: a minimum of two years as an apprentice under a 95 00:05:45,000 --> 00:05:48,680 Speaker 1: licensed Falconer, during which time the apprentice falconer may only 96 00:05:48,720 --> 00:05:56,760 Speaker 1: possess one raptor. Today's episode is based on the article 97 00:05:56,880 --> 00:05:59,640 Speaker 1: The Fast and Furious Peregrine falcon is a midair hunting 98 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:02,600 Speaker 1: machine on how stuffworks dot Com written by Wendy Bowman. 99 00:06:03,279 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: Brain Stuff is production of iHeartRadio in partnership with how 100 00:06:05,680 --> 00:06:08,760 Speaker 1: stuffworks dot Com and is produced by Tyler Klang. Four 101 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:11,599 Speaker 1: more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit the Airheartradio app, 102 00:06:11,720 --> 00:06:14,479 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.