Tierisch Wild - Urlaub am Nationalpark Bayerischer Wald

The Falcon: FASTEST HUNTER IN THE AIR

The peregrine falcon swoops through the air with the speed of an arrow. He uses small holes or ledges in cliffs for breeding as well as nests abandoned by other birds. These unusually beautiful birds can be found in a wide range of habitats but mainly in mountainous areas and steep cliffs.

Peregrine falcons are excellent hunters; they feed mainly on small and medium sized birds which they hunt down in the air. A short, stocky body gives the peregrine falcon an almost perfect teardrop shape when he shoots through the air with widespread wings, reaching a speed of up to 300 kilometres per hour.

In the mid 1970s the peregrine falcon was close to extinction in Central Europe. The reasons for this were its persecution and the use of poisonous products in agriculture and forestry. Thanks to the ‘Species Assistance for Peregrine Falcons’ programme and the protection of nests, the numbers of falcons began to rise from the end of the 1970s. Since the 1980s, the number of breeding pairs in the National Park has also been rising – a place where peregrine falcons can largely live and breed in peace.