Peregrine Falcon (Falcon peregrinus)

This fine Peregrine falcon was photographed at Aviemore at the beginning of 2011. Falco peregrinus, sometimes also called the Duck hawk, is renowned for its speed and can reach 325 km/h (200 mph). Peregrines can be found nearly everywhere on Earth, except extreme polar regions, very high mountains, and most tropical rainforests. Its diet consists almost exclusively of medium-sized birds, the Peregrine will occasionally hunt small mammals, small reptiles, or even insects. Reaching sexual maturity at one year, it mates for life and nests in a scrape, normally on cliff edges or, in recent times, on tall human-made structures. The Peregrine Falcon became an endangered species in many areas because of pesticides, especially DDT. Since the ban on DDT from the early 1970s, populations have recovered, supported by large-scale protection of nesting places and releases to the wild.