Smallest prey items taken by Peregrine falcon (1 Viewer)

[John knowlittle]

For such a powerful raptor, it's often surprised me how Peregrine's will hunt, very small
prey, the smallest I've seen taken was a female Redstart.Which was fresh in off the sea, only to be taken mid air , the peregrine didn't even eat it's victim, just dropped it to the beach below.
I still have the Redstarts tail feathers in my possession.
Was wondering what other tiny prey forum members have seen taken.

 

[jalid]

Long-tailed Tit. It was late September, a moving flock rose high above coastline of Baltic Sea. A Peregrine took one of them very easily, turned against the wind and ate its prey mid-air with still wings - like falcons often eat dragonflies.

 

[John knowlittle]

Wow not a lot of meat on a Long tailed fit, I've witnessed mid air eating by Peregrine on only 1 occasion the victim being a redwing. Plucking and eating while flying in tight circles, was strange to watch.

 

[Nutcracker]

Goldcrest is recorded by BWP as having been taken. Also insects, though some uncertainty about that ("though many possibly from stomach contents of prey").

 

[Piskeddu]

Long-tailed Tit. It was late September, a moving flock rose high above coastline of Baltic Sea. A Peregrine took one of them very easily, turned against the wind and ate its prey mid-air with still wings - like falcons often eat dragonflies.

Hello, that was almost certainly a hobby hawk, eating insects especially the dragonflies in mid-air with the legs stretched forward is their hallmark. George

 

[Richard Prior]

Goldcrest is recorded by BWP as having been taken. Also insects, though some uncertainty about that ("though many possibly from stomach contents of prey").

I can confirm that insects can sometimes feature in their diet - last summer I saw an adult male Peregrine successfully catch large insect prey here.

 

[John knowlittle]

Hi Piskeddu

Hobbies are Falcons not Hawks, and it's best not to identify birds by behaviour alone,
Peregrine's will eat prey in a similar manner to a Hobby
I've also seen a Peregrine hover, but that doesn't make it a Kestrel.

 

[jurek]

Hobbies regularly eat insects as small as flying ants, and I guess peregrines do it, too.

However, such tiny morsels they eat on the wing, so it is difficult to find other than in pellets.

 

[Piskeddu]

Hi Piskeddu



Hobbies are Falcons not Hawks, and it's best not to identify birds by behaviour alone,

Peregrine's will eat prey in a similar manner to a Hobby

I've also seen a Peregrine hover, but that doesn't make it a Kestrel.

Certainly it must not be associated with another bird only by a corportamento, for the way he has to fly the pilgrim may have more difficulty eating incaria while flying.

Giorgio

 

[Richard Prior]

An excellent article on Peregrine Falcon breeding in Brittany, France in the latest Ornithos magazine, analysis of identifiable bones etc at nest sites showed birds ranging in weight from Goldcrest to Herring Gull were prey!!

 

[WalterRayle]

Identifiable corpses around a nest I once visited (under licence) included singles of adult Blackbird, Jay (rare on the site) and adult Green Woodpecker and six juvenile Starling, amongst the more expected racing Pigeon, Wood Pigeon, Collared Dove and adult and juvenile Black-headed Gull. I later watched the same pair o Peregrines working together to try, and ultimately fail, to catch a Kingfisher, they kept taking it in turns to dive-bomb the very vocal Kingfisher for just over five minutes before the Peregrines gave up and the Kingfisher made its escape.

 

[jalid]

Hello, that was almost certainly a hobby hawk, eating insects especially the dragonflies in mid-air with the legs stretched forward is their hallmark. George

The point of the story was that a Peregrine hunted like a small falcon, when it had a clear chance to get a small meal. Hobbies and Merlins regularly patrol the same area during autumn and take their share of migrant passerines over sea. Peregrines are more rare there.

 

[bella34]

I once asked this question to the wardens at Malham Cove and he replied " anything from Blue Tits to Curlew ", saying when they take a Jackdaw from the colony there all hell breaks lose and the times they take Curlews to the nest its like watching a bi-plane coming in !.
Whilst at Malham i've seen them take House martins and Great spotted woodpecker, and at Workington taking Oystercatcher, Pigeons and Plover.

 

[WalterRayle]

I recently picked up a Peregrine pellet that has three racing pigeon rings in it.

 

[Richard Prior]

I recently picked up a Peregrine pellet that has three racing pigeon rings in it.

Let’s keep that to ourselves eh?