Stow, Massachusetts

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 320 km/h (200 mph) in a dive, making it the fastest animal in the world. As is common with bird-eating raptors, the female is... less ↑

The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a small falcon. This bird was (and sometimes still is) colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implies a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated; the latter is an accipiter rather than a falcon. Though both are diurnal raptors, they are only distantly related. less ↑

The Merlin (Falco columbarius) is a smallish falcon from the Northern Hemisphere. It breeds in the northern Holarctic; some migrate to subtropical and northern tropical regions in winter. In North America, "pigeon hawk" is an old colloquial name. But although it is perhaps the most hawk-like living falcon as regards its habitus, as a member of family Falconidae the Merlin is actually no closer relative of hawks than of, for example, eagles and Old World vultures. less ↑