Description:
Adult Peregrine Falcons have a dark grey-and-white plumage.
Their chest and throat are white and the belly is white with horizontal dark grey stripes.
Juveniles (1st, 2nd, 3rd & 5th photo) have a dark brown head and their belly is somewhat brownish with heavy vertical (instead of horizontal) dark brown stripes.
Juvenile Peregrine Falcons remain brown-and-cream colored until they are one year old.
It seems that 19 subspecies of the Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) have been described.
The one occuring in West, Central and East Europe is Falco peregrinus peregrinus having a white underside with dark grey banding.
In South Europe, it is the subspecies Falco peregrinus brookei which usually shows a rusty underside.
The Peregrine Falcon is best known for its diving speed during flight which can reach more than 320 km per hour, making it not only the world’s fastest bird but also the world’s fastest animal.
In the last few years, a pair of Peregrine Falcons has been using the television tower in Hilversum (4th photo) as a base to hunt for prey and every spring I have seen them - from my yard - flying around the tower attacking pigeons and harassing a family of Common Ravens that lives on the tower.
First 3 photos: A juvenile. Oostvaardersplassen, The Netherlands, 7 September 2018
4th photo: An adult. Hilversum, The Netherlands, 20 April 2018
5th photo: A juvenile. In my yard in Hilversum, The Netherlands, 10 August 2021
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