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Peregrine Falcon
(Falco peregrinus)

The Peregrine Falcon has a body length of 34 to 58 centimetres (13-23 in) and a wingspan of around 80 to 120 centimetres (31-47 in).

The male and female have similar markings and plumage, but as in many birds of prey the Peregrine Falcon displays marked reverse sexual dimorphism in size, with the female measuring up to 30 percent larger than the male.

Males weigh 440 to 750 grams (0.97-1.7 lb) and the noticeably larger females weigh 910 to 1,500 grams (2.0-3.3 lb).

The back and the long pointed wings of the adult are usually bluish black to slate gray with indistinct darker barring,the wingtips are black. The white to rusty underparts are barred with thin clean bands of dark brown or black. The tail, coloured like the back but with thin clean bars, is long, narrow and rounded at the end with a black tip and a white band at the very end. The top of the head and a "mustache" along the cheeks are black, contrasting sharply with the pale sides of the neck and white throat. The cere is yellow, as are the feet, and the beak and claws are black. The upper beak is notched near the tip, an adaptation which enables falcons to kill prey by severing the spinal column at the neck.
The immature bird is much browner with streaked, rather than barred, underparts, and has a pale bluish cere and orbital ring.