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| A pelegrine falcon in the Sagrada Família |
Joseph de Ca'th Lon is studying the falcon population in Barcelona. Some years ago, a new programme about reintegration of this species started in this city and its surroundings, like Garraf range.
Today, the population is growing and every year we have to congratulate about the birth of new babies. Joseph has visited the falcon populations in the Sagrada Família; in Montjuïc Mountain; in the Mapfre Tower; in the Thermal Tower in Sant Adrià de Besòs; in the Realia building in Hospitalet and in the Garraf range.
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a widespread bird of prey in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. As is typical of bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, females being considerably larger than males. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h during its characteristic hunting stoop, high speed dive, making it the fastest member of the animal kingdom. Experts recognize 17 to 19 subspecies which vary in appearance and range.
More information: National Geographic
The peregrine falcon is a well respected falconry bird due to its strong hunting ability, high trainability, versatility, and in recent years availability via captive breeding. It is effective on most game bird species from small to large.
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| The peregrine falcon in Vilanova i la Geltrú |
The peregrine falcon is a highly admired falconry bird, and has been used in falconry for more than 3,000 years, beginning with nomads in central Asia. Its advantages in falconry include not only its athleticism and eagerness to hunt, but an equitable disposition that leads to it being one of the easier falcons to train. The peregrine falcon has the additional advantage of a natural flight style of circling above the falconer for game to be flushed, and then performing an effective and exciting high speed diving stoop to take the quarry. The speed and energy of the stoop allows the falcon to catch fast flying birds, and to deliver a knock out blow with a fist-like clenched talon against game that may be much larger than itself.
Peregrine falcons handled by falconers are also occasionally used to scare away birds at airports to reduce the risk of bird-plane strikes, improving air-traffic safety. They were also used to intercept homing pigeons during World War II.
Native Americans of the Mississippian culture (c. 800–1500) used the peregrine, along with several other birds of prey, in imagery as a symbol of celestial power and buried men of high status in costumes associating to the ferocity of raptorial birds.
In the late Middle Ages, the Western European nobility that used peregrines for hunting, considered the bird associated with princes in formal hierarchies of birds of prey, just below the gyrfalcon associated with kings. It was considered a royal bird, more armed by its courage than its claws. Terminology used by peregrine breeders also used the Old French term gentil, of noble birth; aristocratic, particularly with the peregrine.
More information: Arkive
A falcon, tow'ring in her pride of place,
was by a mousing owl hawk'd at and kill'd.
William Shakespeare
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