Falco peregrinus Tunstall, Ornithologia Britannica (1771),
1; Sharpe, Hand-List (1899), 1, 273; Blanford, Fauna
Brit. Ind. Bds. (1895), 3, 415; Oates, Cat. Birds' Eggs (1902),
2, 296; McGregor and Worcester, Hand-List (1906), 44.
Falco communis Sharpe, Cat. Birds Brit. Mus. (1874), 1, 376.
Batan (Edmonds); Calayan (McGregor); Camiguin N. (McGregor);
Catanduanes (Whitehead); Fuga (Whitehead); Luzon (Steere Exp.,
McGregor); Mindanao (Steere Exp.); Mindoro (Everett); Negros
(Steere Exp.); Palawan (Whitehead, Platen, White). Northern
America, Europe, Asia; in winter, Africa and Indian Peninsula.
"Adult.--Above bluish gray, darker on the head and nape, pale on rump
and upper tail-coverts; feathers of the head and nape, the scapulars
and sometimes other parts of the upper plumage dark shafted, and all
feathers except those of the head and hind neck with dark cross-bands;
forehead whitish; a broad cheek-stripe from beneath eye black;
primaries blackish, the inner webs, except near the end, closely barred
with white; secondaries ashy gray with darker cross-bands; tail dark
gray or blackish, with numerous ashy gray cross-bars, closer together
and paler toward the base, extreme tip and borders near tip whitish;
lower parts white with a rufous tinge, a few brown or black spots on
lower breast and middle of abdomen, and narrow dark bars on flanks,
lower wing-coverts, thighs, and under tail-coverts.
"Young birds are very dark brown above, the feathers edged with rufous,
the buff bases of the feathers showing about nape; tail-feathers with
about six transversely oval rufous spots on each web, forming imperfect
cross-bars; primaries as in adults; cheek-stripe narrower; lower parts
white, buff, or rufescent, spotted except on the throat, with broad
brown elongate median stripes, becoming broad spots on the flanks.
"After the first molt peregrines are brownish gray above and gradually
acquire a pure slaty-gray back. The spots and bars on the lower parts
are much broader at first and grow smaller and narrower with age,
the drops on the breast become narrow lines and ultimately disappear
altogether, the bands fade off the under tail-coverts and in very old
birds only small scattered specks remain on the abdomen and triangular
markings on the thigh-coverts. The general tint of the lower surface
varies from almost white to light rufous.
"Bill bluish, black at tip; cere yellow; iris brown; legs and feet
yellow. Length of a female, about 483; tail, 190; wing, 368; tarsus,
53; middle toe without claw, 57; bill from gape, 33. Males are
considerably smaller, length, about 406; wing, 317." (Blanford.)
An old female, taken in Tarlac Province, Luzon, was 470 in length;
wing, 360; tail, 195; culmen from base, 30; tarsus, 55; middle toe
with claw, 68. Iris brown; cere, legs, and skin about eyes light
lemon-yellow; nails black; bill black, its basal third very pale
yellow.