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

There are four peregrine falcon chicks in the nest on top of the University of Pittsburgh's Cathedral of Learning. —Madeline Bartos, CBS News, 27 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

The peregrine falcon, once endangered in the United States, has a couple of great flying records. —Sheryl Devore, Chicago Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026

According to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, peregrine falcons use the peak as a foraging territory. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Feb. 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