Falco peregrinus
Silhouette: Liftarn · PhyloPic
In 3 days <5% in a week ~10%
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also referred to simply as the peregrine, is a bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae known for its speed. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts and a black head. As is typical for bird-eating (avivore) raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males. Historically, the bird has also been known as the "black-cheeked falcon" in Australia and the "duck hawk" in North America.
The breeding range includes land regions from the Arctic tundra to the tropics. It can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests. The only major ice-free landmasses from which it is entirely absent are the islands of New Zealand, making it the world's most widespread raptor and one of the most widely found wild bird species. In fact, the only land-based bird species found over a larger geographic area, domestic and feral pigeons, owe their success to human-led introduction. Both are domesticated forms of the rock dove, and are a major prey species for peregrine populations. Due to their greater abundance in cities than most other birds, feral pigeons support many peregrine populations as a staple food source, especially in urban settings.
The peregrine is a highly successful example of urban wildlife in much of its range, taking advantage of tall buildings as nest sites, and an abundance of prey such as pigeons and ducks. Both the English and scientific names of the species mean "wandering falcon", referring to the migratory habits of many northern populations. A total of 18 or 19 regional subspecies are accepted, which vary in appearance. Disagreement existed in the past over whether the distinctive Barbary falcon was represented by two subspecies of Falco peregrinus or was a separate species, F. pelegrinoides, and several of the other subspecies were originally described as species. However, the difference in their appearance is very small, as is their genetic difference, being only about 0.6–0.8% genetically differentiated. That indicates the divergence is relatively recent, occurring during the Last Ice Age, and all major ornithological authorities now treat the Barbary falcon as a subspecies.
Although its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the peregrine will sometimes hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Wikipedia →
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Đà Nẵng | 🇻🇳 Vietnam | |
| 2 | Maceió | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 3 | Porto Alegre | 🇧🇷 Brazil | |
| 4 | Sendai | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 5 | Novosibirsk | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 6 | Tokyo | 🇯🇵 Japan | |
| 7 | Kazan | 🇷🇺 Russia | |
| 8 | Naples | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 9 | Rome | 🇮🇹 Italy | |
| 10 | Havana | 🇨🇺 Cuba |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Peregrine Falcon sighting in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, based on 9 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 348th most-seen of the 380 birds we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to under 5%, and over a week to about 10%, if each day is a fresh chance.
March
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Peregrine Falcon in Tsavo West National Park on a given day, against under 5% in April to February, the lowest months.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Peregrine Falcon sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
148th of 186
Of the 186 parks where we can rate Peregrine Falcon sightings, Tsavo West National Park ranks 148th at under 5%. The best odds are in Monfragüe National Park (Spain, about 20%), Sundarbans National Park (India, about 20%) and El Palmar National Park (Argentina, about 20%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Peregrine Falcon is recorded against all the birds logged in Tsavo West National Park (9 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
