Peregrine falconsThe peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine known historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae.
Facts1. Peregrine falcons have been clocked at reaching speeds of 242 miles per hour while diving for prey, making them the fastest recorded animal ever. 2. Scientists estimate that falcon vision is eight times better than humans'. This allows the birds to spot small prey from nearly two miles away, and then swoop down precisely to catch it.3. These birds have an extra eyelid that moves from side to side and is partially translucent, allowing them to see through it while still enjoying its protection. They also have a ridge over their eyes to shade them from the sun4. Peregrine falcons are also durable. They're thought to migrate as much as 15,500 miles a year, traveling between continents to mate or find food.5. Unlike other birds that only use sharp talons on their feet to kill prey, falcons also have a sharp tooth at the end of their beak that they can use to quickly sever necks.
Falconry
It may be impossible to ever know exactly where and when the practice of falconry — the training of raptors to hunt wild prey for humans — arose.
Beginning in the 6th century and extending through the Middle Ages, the popularity of falconry — or hawking — surged in Europe. It was the sport of royalty for centuries, with the possession of falcons and other birds of prey considered a status symbol. By the 1600s in England, falconry came to be governed by a strict set of customs called the Laws of Ownership, which dictated the birds of prey that were allowed to be flown by citizens of various social ranks.By the 1800s, however, the sport began to diminish in popularity in Europe, because of the decline of the aristocracy, increased use of firearms to kill animals for food and for sport, and the enclosure and clearing of forest lands for agriculture. In North America, interest in falconry began to rise around the turn of the 20th century, although the first record of falconry dates back to 1622 in New England; farther south, the Spanish Conquistadors noted as early as the 1500s that the Aztecs used trained hawks.The tradition again surged in popularity in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s, during which time the first large falconry association, the Peregrine Club, was established in the United States (it disbanded during World War II). Today, falconry continues to be practiced throughout the world, although it is banned in some countries, such as Australia (where all native raptors are protected by the government and prohibited from being privately owned) and all of the Scandinavian countries, and is tightly regulated in many others. It is estimated that about 10,000 individuals legally practice falconry, with about 5,000 falconers in North America. The North American Falconer’s Association, founded in 1961, currently has more than 2,000 members.