peregrine falcon

noun

: a swift nearly cosmopolitan falcon (Falco peregrinus) often used in falconry

called also peregrine

Illustration of peregrine falcon

Examples of peregrine falcon in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Birds can change the shape of their wings almost instantaneously, spreading out to create drag and lift and perform sudden turns or hover above prey like a kestrel, or folding up so the peregrine falcon can stoop on prey at 240 mph. —David Hambling, Forbes.com, 26 May 2026

The 5-year-old falcon, who had mated with a male peregrine falcon named Dave, laid four eggs in her nest. —Todd Feurer, CBS News, 5 May 2026

The female peregrine falcon in the nest box has been nesting there since 2016. —Kathryn Kovalenko, Twin Cities, 29 Apr. 2026

Acadia also protects over 47,000 acres of land that are home to a wide variety of wildlife, including peregrine falcons, whose population the park helped restore. —Eve Chen, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English faukon peregryn, from Medieval Latin falco peregrinus, literally, pilgrim falcon; from the young being captured wandering from their nests, which were too inaccessible to reach easily

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for peregrine falcon

• alkyne
• malkin

Kids Definition

peregrine falcon

noun

per·​e·​grine falcon

ˈper-ə-grən-, 

-ˌgrēn-

: a dark swift widely distributed falcon that can be tamed and trained to hunt game

called also peregrine