Why Evolution is True is a blog written by Jerry Coyne, centered on evolution and biology but also dealing with diverse topics like politics, culture, and cats.
The Peregrine, by John A. Baker, may not be the best nature book I’ve ever read, but I can’t think of a better one. And it’s certainly the most beautiful. The book is not very well known—I came across it in an online review (another is here)—and the author is nearly completely obscure. We’re not … Continue reading Peregrine week!
Among raptors, the peregrine is not large. It’s about the size of a large crow, and weighs between 1 and 3 pounds (females are larger). It’s found on every continent but Antarctica. With its keen vision and terrible talons, it’s superbly adapted for hunting in the air. As J. A. Baker describes in The Peregrine: … Continue reading Peregrine Tuesday
A quick update: Chicago’s Field Museum, in collaboration with Midwest Generation, has set up a FalconCam on the roof of a power plant in Waukegan, Illinois. It monitors a large peregrine nestbox, live, 24 hours a day. I believe there are chicks in there (go to the “archive: last 24 hours”), but you can certainly … Continue reading FalconCam
What gets many people excited about peregrines is the stoop: the high-speed vertical dive, with wings pressed close to the body, that they use to attack prey from above. As we saw yesterday, this can exceed 200 mph when the bird is dropped from a high-altitude balloon, though it’s unlikely those speeds are attained in … Continue reading Peregrine Wednesday
Peregrines have several techniques for killing on the wing. The first involves bashing into a bird with the feet clenched into “fists,” knocking it out of the air (and perhaps out in general). The peregrine then retrieves the bird on the ground. In the second, the classic “stoop” kill, it swoops down on its prey … Continue reading Peregrine Thursday
Today brings us to the end of Peregrine Week, celebrating one of evolution’s marvels. I’ve bought new binoculars just to see these birds—there are over a dozen pairs in Chicago, some right here on campus—and I’ll be watching the nests come spring. And if you’ve liked the excerpts from J. A. Baker’s The Peregrine, by … Continue reading Peregrine Friday: a farewell to falcons
