Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
Presence in the Strait: Resident
Abundance: common
Protection in Spain: In danger of extinction · Spanish Catalogue
In Spanish: Halcón peregrino

Photograph: Nicolás Villaseca Merino, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist

Length: 39–50 cm
Wingspan: 95–115 cm
Weight: 650–1,100 g

Presence in the Strait

Common resident associated with rocky coastal or inland areas (35 pairs in 1998).

Identification

The largest and fastest of the falcons. Adults have slate-grey upperparts that contrast with white underparts which are barred black; blackish crown and prominent, broad black moustachial stripe. Pointed tail and wings, medium-sized. Juveniles have brownish upperparts and cream, heavily streaked underparts. It flies with rapid wing-beats interspaced with short glides. Strong pair bond and highly territorial behaviour.

Movements

Scarce passage (<25 post. migr.) mainly due to juvenile dispersion and arrival of birds from N Europe for the winter. Peaks in September and October.

Bioestrecho editorial text. Last revised: 8 September 2026.

Photographs from iNaturalist observations with the licence checked file by file. Those marked “Strait” were taken within the area; place and date are those of each observation.

Calendar in the Strait

22 %

Peak in September. Observations under CC0 or CC BY licences. The distribution also reflects observation effort.

Where it is seen

Open records from the atlas database, in cells of about 9.0 km. Opacity follows the square root of the count, and also reflects where people observe most.

See on the map

Sensitive species (cliff nest, exposed to plundering and disturbance): its observations are shown with the location generalised to about 11 km, here and in the explorer. The original source keeps the exact position.

First open record: 25 February 1966
Latest record: 21 March 2026

The oldest and the most recent open observation in the extended area. A recent first observation does not mean the species is new: it means nobody had published it openly before.

Conservation

The catalogues, Andalusian and Spanish, are what binds; the Red Book assesses the Spanish population with IUCN criteria, and the global Red List is the context.

LCNTVUENCR

Andalusian Catalogue: Special protection (List)
Spanish Catalogue: Special protection (List) · In danger of extinction
Red Book of the Birds of Spain 2021: VU · Vulnerable (Canary Islands) · breeding
Global Red List (IUCN): LC · Least concern

Annex I of the Birds Directive

Andalusian Catalogue: Junta de Andalucía, list of 24 April 2025. Spanish Catalogue: MITECO, table of 30 June 2025. Red Book: SEO/BirdLife, 2021 (Annex I). IUCN: via GBIF, 6 September 2026. Red Book and IUCN categories are assessments; catalogue categories are legal obligations.

Phenology compared

Monthly distribution in proportion, by decade. It shows whether the passage is getting earlier or later.

1990–1999

2000–2009

2010–2026

Proportions, not totals: observation effort grew faster than any population.

Same genus in the Strait

Eleonora’s Falcon36–42 cm · Migrant · overlapping size
Common Kestrel33–39 cm · Resident · overlapping size
Lanner Falcon43–52 cm · Occasional · overlapping size
Saker Falcon47–55 cm · Vagrant · overlapping size
Eurasian Hobby28–35 cm · Migrant

Species of the same genus that also occur here, ordered by how close they are in size. Being relatives does not mean they are confused in the field, but that is where the doubts start: compare size and season.

Classification

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Aves
Order: Falconiformes
Family: Falconidae
GBIF taxon key: 2481047

Sources

Distribution and calendar: Bioestrecho's own database, ingested from GBIF and OBIS
Photograph: Nicolás Villaseca Merino, CC BY-SA, vía iNaturalist
Taxonomy: GBIF backbone, pending WoRMS for marine taxa
Editorial text: written by Bioestrecho
Last revised: 8 September 2026

Peregrine Falcon

Presence in the Strait

Identification

Movements

Gallery