Peregrine Falcon Feathers

1. Peregrine Falcon Feathers By: Serena Rodriguez

2. Oiling Peregrine falcons can make their feathers water -proof by oiling them. It helps them when they’re flying in the rain. The oil comes from a gland on their rump at the base of the tail. If Peregrines don’t oil their feathers they will become dry and crack. This is called “preening”.

3. Feather Patterns and Colors Peregrine falcons’ feathers are most likely to be brown, white, black, or gray. Sometimes Peregrines have black around their beak that looks like a small dark mustache .

4. More Patterns The Peregrines’ feathers have brown spots underneath their chin and a black tear strip on their cheeks .

5. Grown-ups Feathers When the Peregrines are grown up their flight feathers are about 10 cm. long. The feathers on their head are kind of like a helmet, short and close to the skull. The feathers start to look bluish-gray .

6. Eyases Feathers The babies, called eyases, only have white fuzz covering them, but when they have grown to about three to five weeks they start to get juvenile feathers that are brown and tan.

7. Resources   www.extremesicence.com http://library.thinkquest.org/5861/PeregrineFalcon.htm http://www.raptorresource.org/facts.htm http://animals.howstuffworks.com/birds/peregrine-falcon-speed.htm/printable