| Banding
– Putting identification bands on birds. When
peregrine babies are about 20 days old, environmental scientists
put numbered bands on both legs. This helps scientists track
the birds and follow their progress over the years. |
| Chicks
– Baby birds of any kind. |
| Clutch
– A batch of eggs or chicks. |
| Down
– The soft fuzz that covers the baby birds before they
have feathers. Down, along with the warmth from their parents’
bodies, keeps them comfortable. Adults have an under -layer
of down and an over-layer of flight feathers. |
| Egg Tooth
– A special hook on the end of a baby bird’s bill
that helps it break through the egg to hatch. |
| Eyas
– Another name for a baby falcon in the nest. |
| Fledging
– A young bird that has learned to fly. |
| Incubate
– To keep eggs warm so that embryos develop and hatch.
The adult peregrines incubate the eggs by sitting on them.
They also turn the eggs with their beaks from time to time.
Incubation extends for 33 days. |
| Migrate
– To travel from one climate region to another on a
regular basis. Most peregrines migrate to warmer climates
in the winter and return to their northern climes in early Spring. |
| Peregrine
– From the Latin work peregrinus, meaning wanderer or
pilgrim. |
| Pip
– To break through the shell of an egg. A baby
falcon pips, using its egg tooth, to begin hatching. |
| Predator
– An animal that kills and eats other animals. Peregrines
are predators. They hit their prey in flight at speeds up
to 250 miles per hour. |
| Prey
– Animals killed and eaten by predators. Typical falcon
prey includes bustards, pigeons, starlings, blackbirds, ducks, flickers,
and doves. |
| Raptor
– A predatory bird. |
| Scrape
– A falcon nest. Falcons that nest high on cliff
banks use stones and pebbles to prevent their eggs from rolling
away. |
| Talons
– The sharp claws of falcons and other raptors. A peregrine
uses it talons to knock its prey out of the air and carry
it off. |
| Tiercel
– A male falcon. |
