Education

Online Activities

Plym Bridge Interactive Jigsaw

Peregrine Falcon Quiz

Plym Bridge Wildlife Matching Game

Printable Activities

Peregrine Falcon Colouring Sheet

Plym Bridge Word Search

Peregrine Falcon Crossword

Learning Opportunities

Interactive Games

Schools and Colleges

We have a schools programme linked to the Plym Peregrine Project which can be used in conjunction with Key Stages at all ages.

  • Presentations on school premises to introduce the peregrines to the students and follow this up with a visit to the project to see the birds.
  • Education Group Membership which entitles education groups to free entry to National Trust properties for one year.
  • Learning outside the classroom following your curriculum requirements
  • National Trust Guardianship schemes which are a collaboration between staff from the Trust and school to develop active and unique hands-on education programmes using the outdoors as an extension of the classroom.

What is a Peregrine?

Peregrines are members of the falcon family - the name falco comes from the Latin “falx”, meaning “sickle-shaped”, referring either to the shape of their wings or possibly their talons or beak. In some parts of the world the peregrine falcon is also known as the black-cheeked falcon, duck hawk, ledge hawk or bullet hawk in the USA, and the Shaheen in India.

Adult peregrines are slate-grey above and white with dark bars underneath. They have a black head and moustache, which are thought to absorb light and reduce glare helping peregrines to see well. The base of the beak has a soft bare area called the “cere” and is bright yellow in adults.

Long, sharp yellow talons help peregrine falcons to catch birds, while the hooked bill has a little tooth that is used to break the necks of their prey to kill it. Their large eyes enable the peregrine to have superb vision, up to six times sharper than a human, which means they are able to catch prey during dawn and dusk when the light is poor. They can be told apart from sparrow hawks by their long, pointed wings. Hawk wings are broader and rounded. Peregrines are quite big birds, and some females are almost twice the size of a kestrel. The female, like most birds of prey, is a lot bigger than the male. He is called the “tiercel”, and gets this name because he is a third (tier) smaller than the female.

Where are they found?

Peregrines are found all over the world, except the North and South Poles. Here in Britain they stay all year round, but in Alaska, Canada and Russia they migrate south in the autumn, just like our swallows and cuckoos. They can travel up to an incredible 8,000 miles each way!

Where do they nest?

Peregrines usually nest on rocky crags and sea cliff ledges, but more recently they can be seen nesting on manmade structures, such as church steeples, office buildings, cranes or pylons. The nest site is called an “eyrie”. Three to four eggs are laid in late March or early April, but it is unusual for more than three young to be raised.

The chick (called an “eyas”) is covered in soft, fluffy white down until its proper, brown feathers grow through. For six weeks, it is fed regularly by the parents. As the chick gets closer to flying, it becomes extremely noisy and continually begs for more food. This is when you can see the juveniles chasing after each other, and attempting to catch prey. It is a great opportunity to watch them perfect their flying skills.

Before young peregrines can catch birds they often hunt insects in the air. The chicks are still dependent on their parents three or four months after they have left the nest, in which time they gradually learn how to hunt and catch prey.

What do they eat?

Peregrines feed on all sizes of bird, from wrens to small geese. Males target small birds including pied wagtails and blackbirds, being bigger the females take much larger prey like lapwings and teal ducks. 137 species of bird have been recorded as prey in the United Kingdom and occasionally they take other prey, such as large bats. When they have enough food to eat, they hide some of it in a crevice of a cliff (called a “cache”) and save it for another day.

When courting, males will bring the female food often exchanging it in a spectacular mid-air display.

Peregrines long, pointed wings help them to fly fast, normally up to 60 miles per hour in level flight. However, when hunting for food, it closes its wings and dives after its prey from a great height in a “stoop”. Although not the fastest bird in level flight, during its spectacular stoops the Peregrine can attain speeds in excess of 150mph  when stooping for prey*. This makes the peregrine the fastest animal in the world - a Guinness World Record holder!

* British Trust for Ornithology Sept 2008

For pictures of peregrines click on the Gallery link.