Celebrate World Migratory Bird Day (WMBD)  with us in 2022! This year’s theme is “Dim The Lights for Birds at Night”. Have fun learning about a new migratory bird every day. We have colouring pages, puzzles, activities, and more. Download for free and enjoy nature with your family at home.

Migratory Bird of the Day: Peregrine Falcon

It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the fastest bird in the world – the Peregrine Falcon! Dropping out of the sky at 240 mph Powerful and fast-flying, the Peregrine Falcon is a large crow-size falcon, dark gray above, and cream-colored with dark barring below. Pointed wings, long, narrow tail and rapid pigeon-like flight identify it on the wing. When perched, its mask-like head pattern is distinctive. Immatures can be identified by a brown back with a cream-colored belly with heavy brown streaking.  

The Peregrine is an uncommon to rare migratory bird in the Caribbean. It can be found throughout the islands primarily from October to April in coastal areas, offshore cays and rocks, woodlands, forests and cities. One breeding record exists for Cuba and another for Dominica. Peregrines are one of the most widespread birds in the world, found on all continents except Antarctica and on many oceanic islands. 

Peregrines eat mostly birds, especially flocking doves, waterfowl, songbirds, waders, and pigeons. They take birds on the wing, usually while flying low to the ground and surprising their prey from behind as they take off. Peregrines also dive on prey from high above, striking with their feet. They are said to be the fastest animal in the world, reaching speeds over 320 km/h (200 mph) or more during hunting dives!

Peregrine populations crashed in 1950-1970 due to the use of pesticides, especially DDT, and it was declared an Endangered Species. Following the ban on DDT in the early 1970s as well as protection of nesting places and releases of captive-bred birds to the wild, the species recovered enough to be removed from the Endangered Species List in 1999 – a conservation success story! Learn more about this species, including its range, photos, and calls here.

Colour in the Peregrine Falcon

Download the Migratory Birds of the Day Colouring Page! Use the picture above and the photos on this page as your guide, or you can look up pictures of the bird online or in a bird field guide if you have one. Share your coloured-in page with us by posting it online and tagging us @BirdsCaribbean   #WMBD2022Carib

Listen to the calls of the Peregrine Falcon

The alarm call of the Peregrine Falcon are series of harsh “kak, kak, kak.” calls

Puzzles of the Day

Click on the images below to do the puzzle.  You can make the puzzle as easy or as hard as you like – for example, 6, 8, or 12 pieces for young children, all the way up to 1,024 pieces for those that are up for a challenge!

Activity of the Day

FOR KIDS: Peregrine Falcon’s are fascinating birds, with loads of interesting facts out there to be discovered! Like where they live, what they eat, their nesting behavior and migration. So why not get started on todays activity and make your own Peregrine Falcon fact sheet! Follow our instructions, gather together your favorite Peregrine facts and then use the template we provide. You can get your Peregrine facts from the information above and you can also look this raptor up on eBird, or on “All About Birds” from the Cornell Lab. Once you’ve found all the interesting and fun facts you need go ahead and make your fact sheet. 

FOR KIDS AND ADULTS: Enjoy this beautiful video of a Peregrine Falcon in the wild!

 

Video by Don DesJardin.

Read all about Raptor Conservation in the Caribbean!