The fastest animal on earth, one that can achieve speeds of more than 200 miles per hour, lives just up the road this time of year.
While found in coastal and northwestern California all year, peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) are present on the refuges of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex only during winter.
Easily recognizable by its grayish black hood extending down over big, forward-looking eyes, the peregrine is the unwitting protagonist in a twentieth century survival story.
Prior to World War II, there were more than 3,800 breeding pairs of the falcon in the United States. Loss of habitat, human predation and, in greatest part, poisoning from dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) plunged the peregrine population into a tailspin that spiraled toward extinction. In fact, the bird was extirpated from the eastern U.S. by the mid-1960s.
The peregrine was listed as endangered in 1970 under the federal Endangered Species Act, DDT was banned in 1972 and by 1975 there were only 324 pairs of peregrines left alive in the entire country. The pesticide’s ban and vigorous, extensive efforts to reestablish the birds in the East and ultimately nationwide resulted in sufficient recovery to warrant its removal from the federal endangered list in 1999 and from California’s endangered list in 2009.
Peregrine falcons are birds of prey that eat mostly medium-sized birds; however, they have been observed killing birds as small as a hummingbird and as large as a sandhill crane. In North America, peregrines are known to prey on about 450 different species of birds.
Peregrines can be found on every continent except Antarctica. Worldwide the list of their prey may include as many as 2,000 bird species. The typical bird prey that attracts peregrine falcons to the San Joaquin Valley in the winter includes ducks, grebes, shorebirds and songbirds.
To pursue prey that can fly away, it would make sense that the peregrine falcon would have to be a fast flier and indeed they are — very fast! They travel at cruising speeds of about 25 to 34 mph, but when in level pursuit of prey, peregrines reach speeds of 69 mph.
These falcons are known for using a hunting maneuver called the “hunting stoop,” which is a steep dive from altitudes between 300 and 3,000 feet during which the peregrine brings its long, pointed wings in close to its body and accelerates downward towards its prey. While performing this move, a peregrine can achieve speeds in excess of 230 mph, faster than any other animal on the planet can move – except a human in a nitro-fueled dragster or some other souped-up appliance.
For more than 1,000 years, humans have taken advantage of the peregrine’s hunting prowess by training captive falcons to hunt on demand. Falconry has a rich history both as a means of gathering food and as a sport. It also has a list of rules, regulations, permitting requirements and inspection obligations in California so severe as to dissuade all but the most dedicated to practice the sport.
It’s far easier to just watch the sky over winter wetlands for winged hunters, for birds with a hood.
The Merced National Wildlife Refuge which is located at 7430 West Sandy Mush Road, the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge and the San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge comprise the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Its headquarters and visitor center are located just north of Los Banos off Highway 165 at 7376 South Wolfsen Road.
The refuges are open to visitors daily from one half-hour before sunrise to one half-hour after sunset. The visitor center is open Monday through Friday except federal holidays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. For more information, call the refuge visitor center at 209-826-3508, ext. 127 or check out the upcoming events on the website at fws.gov/refuge/san-luis.
