Q 01/05

Which bird of prey becomes the fastest animal on Earth when it dives on other birds at over 200 mph?

A) Saker falcon

B) Peregrine falcon

C) Sharp-shinned hawk

D) Lanner falcon

Answer · why

B) Peregrine falcon

The peregrine falcon has been clocked at 242 mph in a dive, and it thrives in cities, nesting on tall buildings and living largely on pigeons.

Q 02/05

Which raptor's weak, chirping call do film-makers usually dub over with a red-tailed hawk's scream?

A) Martial eagle

B) White-tailed eagle

C) Bald eagle

D) Crowned eagle

Answer · why

C) Bald eagle

The bald eagle makes only thin, gull-like whistles, so studios borrow a louder, fiercer voice. The United States did not make it the official national...

Q 03/05

DNA studies show that falcons are more closely related to which birds than to hawks and eagles?

A) Owls

B) Pelicans

C) Parrots

D) Storks

Answer · why

C) Parrots

Parrots and songbirds are the falcons' nearest relatives, so a falcon's hooked beak and talons arose separately from those of a hawk.

Q 04/05

Which Arctic owl, the species of Harry Potter's pet Hedwig, often hunts in daylight unlike most owls?

A) Snowy owl

B) Great grey owl

C) Tawny owl

D) Barred owl

Answer · why

A) Snowy owl

The snowy owl is often active by day, especially in the Arctic summer, and its breeding success rises and falls with the supply of lemmings.

Q 05/05

Which pesticide, banned in the US in 1972, thinned raptors' eggshells until they cracked in the nest?

A) Aldrin

B) DDT

C) Mirex

D) Lindane

Answer · why

B) DDT

DDT grew more concentrated at each step up the food chain, hitting top predators hardest, and Rachel Carson's 1962 book Silent Spring turned the publi...