Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinus
Peregrine Falcons are small hawks most commonly seen in the arctic flying high and fast over tundra and forests looking for food. Peregrines commonly eat small rodents (mice and lemmings) and sometimes eat sparrows and other small birds.
Peregrine Falcons breed in small nests hidden on rocky cliffs throughout the arctic, and usually found over land near tundra or meadows. Falcons catch food by diving in the air very fast and stunning their prey. Because they eat so many mice and small animals, they can be exposed to large amounts of toxic chemicals and poisons in the environment. Before we understood how dangerous some insecticides were, Peregrine Falcons became very rare because high concentrations of DDT and other poisons made their eggs brittle and weak. Better controls on these chemicals in the environment helped Peregrine Falcons to breed again by reducing the amount of toxic chemicals in their food.