Kestrel or young Peregrine?

[Chris Brennan]

I took this shot yesterday at the Forsythe NWR in Oceanville, NJ. Although initially I thought it was a Kestrel now I'm not so sure. I did not see it fly off...

Your help would be most appreciated!

[Tom Rambaut]

I woukld say young Peregrine.

[Roy Priest]

Definitely an immature peregrine. Looks like Tundrius to me, given the light head marks and prominent malar stripe,

[Chris Brennan]

Thank you for your help! I'll be more on the lookout for his/her parents when I next visit...

[Jeff Cashdollar]

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae.

It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache". It can reach speeds over 322 km/h (200 mph), making it the fastest animal in the world. As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is much bigger than the male.

My guess it is immature too.

[Paul Guris]

Thank you for your help! I'll be more on the lookout for his/her parents when I next visit...

FYI, if this is truly a tundrius race bird, its parents are probably far, far away. The birds that breed at the refuge are of an indeterminate mix that was reintroduced in the eastern U.S., so don't genetically match any known races in the wild. In essence, they built a new hybrid race for the release program, using the birds that were available to them, so we now have a unique and self-sustaining strain here in the east.

The adult breeding pair of Peregrines at Forsythe (I still have trouble calling it that instead of Brigantine) are year-round residents, so be sure to look for them on your next visit. They are often on the nest box along the cross dike.