Wildlife Spotted: Peregrine Falcon

The world's fastest bird is here in Singapore! Nesting high up in the buildings in central Singapore, a pair of peregrine falcons have decided to give Singapore a try to set up their nest. It has been quite a few years since these falcons came to Singapore, with the last reported sighting almost 10 years ago.

These are one of my favourite birds of prey and they might be small, but they pack a punch. Singapore has everything the birds need. We have high rise buildings where they can perch and look out for prey, we also have an abundance of pigeons, mynas and other smaller birds that they love to hunt. All that is lacking is a good comfy space they can use to lay their eggs and we are good!

Faster than an F1 car

The way these falcons hunt makes them really special. They would soar high in the air or perch on a high place like a tree or building looking for prey. Once they have locked in on a target, they will stoop, or dive. During this stoop, they tuck their wings in and they look a lot like an arrow, falling headfirst to their target. Their plan is to strike the target like a bullet, causing the prey to break a wing or to get totally knocked out because of the force.

When they stoop, they can go at up to speeds of 390 km/h, that's faster than an F1 car or even a bullet train. That's really fast.

Different way of hunting in cities

In cities where our buildings are so close to each other, it would be very dangerous for the peregrine falcon to stoop. Instead, they do it the way other birds of prey do it, they play catch with their prey, chasing it by flying close and using their talons to grab it. It makes it a little more difficult for these birds, but it is still an effective way for them to get a meal.

Nature's bird population regulator

Having these falcons in Singapore is so good. They can help to control our bird population by hunting crows, mynas and pigeons. These predators also make bird spotting even more fun, with more to look at. I really hope that I can spot these falcons stooping to hunt prey in Singapore soon!