The Peregrine Falcon Food Chain

Sarah

Rolling Hills

2006

Being raptors, Peregrine Falcons are the top of the food chain. The food chain is like a pyramid. First on the pyramid are plants, like bushes and grass. Second are the herbivores such as ground squirrels, mice, grouse and insects that eat plants. After herbivores are the first carnivores like song birds and weasels. At the top of the food chain, or pyramid, are second carnivores such as raptors, hawks and falcons.

The Peregrine Falcons get their prey, or food, by diving over 200 miles an hour and snatching the prey out of midair. The birds they eat are starlings, gulls, doves, pigeons, songbirds, shorebirds, waterfowl, ducks, pheasants, blackbirds and jays.

Peregrine Falcons also eat small mammals such as squirrels, rabbit, rats and mice keeping the populations of these animals down to help us. Only 10% of consumed energy goes to the next energy level on the food chain.

Bibliography

Sustainable Resource Development; Alberta Government; May 13, 2006; http://www3.gov.ab.ca/srd/fw/watch/falconfood.html

Cuisin, Michel; Natures Hidden Prey, Birds of Prey; Morristown, New Jersey; Silver Burdett Company; © 1979

Endeson, Jim; Peregrine Falcons; Stories of the Blue Meanie; Austin, Texas; University of Texas Press; © 2005

Description of the Peregrine Falcon; http://falcon.unibase.com/descrip3.shtml