Georgia Wildlife Resources Division
2070 U.S. Hwy. 278, SE, Social Circle, GA 30025
Rare
Great-footed hawk, American peregrine, duck hawk, wandering falcon
These raptors are 38-53 cm (15-21 in.) in length with long pointed wings which may reach 112 cm (44 in.) in span. The tail is long and narrow with a dark subterminal band. Mature birds are slate gray on the back and have a light breast with dark markings on the belly.
The cap and nape are black, and a black mustache extends below the eye forming a distinctive dark helmet. Females are noticeably larger than males. Immature birds are browner and heavily streaked on the breast.
Peregrines are found throughout the U.S., including Alaska. The nest, or eyrie, is normally located on a high, inaccessible cliff ledge where the young are safe from predators. Adults hunt for food over the surrounding countryside and may range over 83 km (50 miles) in a single day. Peregrines have adapted to new habitats provided by cities, and many pairs now nest on city buildings and bridges and forage in surrounding urban areas.
The peregrine's historic nesting range in Georgia was in the extreme northern part of the state, with the last known wild nest in Cloudland Canyon (Dade County) in the early 1940s. Peregrines are occasionally seen throughout Georgia, particularly on the coast during migration and winter. Georgia is the southern limit of the historic breeding range of this species.
Birds caught on the wing, including pigeons, shorebirds, various songbirds, and occasionally waterfowl.
These falcons typically mate for life, but will find a new mate if one is lost. On average, three eggs are laid at the nest site, which is usually a shallow, scraped depression high on a rocky cliff. The eggs hatch after about 32 days, and the young are fed by both parents. The young fly after about six weeks, but remain dependent upon their parents for several more weeks as they develop their hunting skills. Falcons usually do not attempt to nest during their first year of life and may wait until they are 3 or 4 years old. In Georgia, nesting occurs in late March or early April.
When feeding, these falcons commonly take their prey by swift pursuit or a very fast "stoop" ending in a powerful punch from the talons which sends the prey tumbling to the ground. These stoops have been estimated at 333 kmph (200 mph), giving the peregrine the distinction as the fastest bird in the world. Peregrines occasionally take waterfowl and are sometimes called "duck hawks."
Historically, an estimated 400 pairs of peregrines nested in the eastern U.S. Although shooting, egg collection and nest disturbance were detrimental to this species, it was primarily due to the effects of DDT (Dichloro diphenyl trichloroethane) that the population declined until there were no known peregrines nesting by the late 1950s. A pesticide which is very effective at controlling insects that damage agricultural crops, DDT was widely used in the 1940s and 1950s. The chemical causes physiological problems in birds such as bald eagles, ospreys, brown pelicans and peregrine falcons. Contamination of the foods of these birds and accumulation of DDT compounds in their tissues cause thinning of their eggs, and very few eggs hatch successfully.
Lack of successful reproduction caused the peregrine falcon population to crash. Although DDT was banned in North America in 1972, peregrines continue to encounter this and other deadly toxins south of the U.S. border during migration and wintering. Successful nesting occurs today, though some populations continue to have eggshells thinner than those found prior to widespread use of DDT. Tissue samples of birds overwintering in Latin America indicate high levels of DDT compounds. In addition to these continued problems, the primary threat to peregrine falcons today is the expanding human population and the associated loss of suitable undisturbed natural nesting and foraging areas.
Several hundred peregrines have been released at numerous sites in the eastern United States since 1972, and the population has been partially restored. Successful nesting resumed in 1980. The eastern U.S. population now numbers about 450 pairs, many in cities or on nesting towers in coastal marshes.
Between 1987 and 1993, 22 peregrines were released at Mount Yonah, Bell Mountain and Tallulah Gorge in northeastern Georgia; at Cloudland Canyon in northwestern Georgia; and in downtown Atlanta from the Georgia Power building. A male peregrine released in Atlanta in 1989 established a territory and attracted a mate to Atlanta in 1992. Although their initial attempt to nest was unsuccessful, they raised three young from a downtown Atlanta hotel in 1996 and three young from an adjacent building in 1997. Other nests since in downtown Atlanta have been successful.
As of 2011, there were two known peregrine nests in Georgia, both in metro Atlanta. Cloudland Canyon and Tallulah Gorge offer the best natural areas for nesting.