Peregrine falcon

The fastest creature on the planet

The peregrine falcon is the fastest creature in the world! In a dive it reaches 390 km/h — faster than a Formula 1 car. It drops onto its prey from the sky like a stone. Peregrines now live in big cities too — tall buildings are like cliffs to them.

The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) is a bird of prey found on every continent except Antarctica. Its recorded dive ('stoop') speed of 390 km/h is the animal kingdom's record. Special bony tubercles in its nostrils help it breathe at that speed; a third eyelid protects its eyes. Its prey is birds caught in mid-air. In the 1960s it nearly vanished from Europe and America because of the pesticide DDT, recovering after the ban. Today it nests on skyscrapers in New York, London and Tashkent, and winters in Uzbekistan too.

Fun facts

• 390 km/h — no living creature moves faster than a peregrine.
• A peregrine can see a pigeon 1.5 km away.
• Peregrines have nested on tall buildings in Tashkent too.