Q 01/05

Why does a falconer slip a leather hood over a peregrine's head?

A) To keep it warm

B) To stop it biting

C) To keep it calm

D) To show who owns it

Answer · why

C) To keep it calm

To keep it calm. A falcon reacts to almost everything it sees, so with its eyes covered it sits quietly on the fist until the falconer is ready to fly...

Q 02/05

Which sex of peregrine falcon is larger?

A) The male

B) Neither; they match

C) It varies by region

D) The female

Answer · why

D) The female

The female. She can weigh half as much again as her mate, and early in nesting she guards the chicks while the smaller male hunts for the whole family...

Q 03/05

What is the peregrine's historical North American nickname?

A) Pigeon hawk

B) Sparrow hawk

C) Chicken hawk

D) Duck hawk

Answer · why

D) Duck hawk

Duck hawk. The American subspecies still carries the name in Latin as anatum, 'of ducks', and coastal peregrines really do knock ducks out of the air.

Q 04/05

Peregrines live almost everywhere, yet they are entirely absent from which of these islands?

A) Great Britain

B) New Zealand

C) Madagascar

D) Sri Lanka

Answer · why

B) New Zealand

New Zealand. Its only falcon is the kārearea, a native forest hunter found nowhere else, while peregrines breed in Britain, Madagascar and Sri Lanka a...

Q 05/05

Both the English and scientific names of the peregrine mean what?

A) Hunting falcon

B) Wandering falcon

C) Royal falcon

D) Cliff falcon

Answer · why

B) Wandering falcon

Wandering falcon. Latin peregrinus means 'coming from foreign parts', and the name may first have marked young birds caught on their travels instead o...