Illustration of peregrine falcon
peregrine falcon
noun
: a swift nearly cosmopolitan falcon (Falco peregrinus) often used in falconry
called also peregrine
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the Web And yet there is hope — a peregrine falcon has nested in the church — and humor as, somehow, life and nature prevail. 
Clea Simon, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2022 Plymouth County: three sandhill cranes and a sora at Burrage Pond Wildlife Area in Hanson, and a peregrine falcon at Duxbury Beach. BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 This meant that the peregrine falcon is more closely related to colorful macaws and tiny sparrows than to any hawk or eagle. Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 15 July 2022 Burrowing parrots are the prey of the peregrine falcon, the fastest bird on the planet. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 July 2022 She was stunned to see a peregrine falcon, its talons gripping the black railing of their west-facing terrace, staring at her. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 20 June 2022 This program will include a trio of screech owls, a barn owl and a peregrine falcon. Hartford Courant, 10 June 2022 As UC Berkeley’s peregrine falcon Annie makes headlines for quickly finding a new mate, a couple of raptors farther north are showing the world what can happen with just a little bit of romantic stability. Andres Picon, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2022 Annie is a female peregrine falcon who, since 2016, has been sheltering and laying eggs atop the university’s 307-foot-tall Sather Tower with her mate, Grinnell. Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 See More
Clea Simon, BostonGlobe.com, 25 Aug. 2022 Plymouth County: three sandhill cranes and a sora at Burrage Pond Wildlife Area in Hanson, and a peregrine falcon at Duxbury Beach. BostonGlobe.com, 30 July 2022 This meant that the peregrine falcon is more closely related to colorful macaws and tiny sparrows than to any hawk or eagle. Ben Crair, The New Yorker, 15 July 2022 Burrowing parrots are the prey of the peregrine falcon, the fastest bird on the planet. Ashley Strickland, CNN, 8 July 2022 She was stunned to see a peregrine falcon, its talons gripping the black railing of their west-facing terrace, staring at her. Vincent T. Davis, San Antonio Express-News, 20 June 2022 This program will include a trio of screech owls, a barn owl and a peregrine falcon. Hartford Courant, 10 June 2022 As UC Berkeley’s peregrine falcon Annie makes headlines for quickly finding a new mate, a couple of raptors farther north are showing the world what can happen with just a little bit of romantic stability. Andres Picon, San Francisco Chronicle, 7 Apr. 2022 Annie is a female peregrine falcon who, since 2016, has been sheltering and laying eggs atop the university’s 307-foot-tall Sather Tower with her mate, Grinnell. Los Angeles Times, 5 Apr. 2022 See More 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