NOIDA: Peregrine falcons have made an appearance in Noida and Greater Noida with birders spotting quite a few raptors over the past few days. Touted as the fastest in the entire animal kingdom, these birds migrate to NCR every winter to escape cold.
Historically, known as the duck hawk in North America, the English and scientific name of the bird means ‘wandering falcon’ as they don’t stay at a particular place for too long.
“Peregrine falcon is not just the fastest bird, but it is the fastest species in the entire animal kingdom. For bird watchers, this is a good time to catch a glimpse of these hunters. The birds usually park themselves at a vantage point and swoop down and catch their prey,” Jaswinder Waraich, a Noida-based birder, said. These falcons can fly at a speed of 320 kmph.
Waraich added that he had spotted a few falcons in Greater Noida recently. The birds usually leave the region in March and April.
Some of the other raptors that can be seen in Noida and Greater Noida around this time are laggar falcons and red-necked falcons, which are local varieties. Eurasian hobby can also be seen sometimes.
While laggar falcons can be found in the Indian subcontinent and in many south-Asian countries, red-necked falcons or red-headed merlins are found across India.
“It is a good time to spot Peregrine falcons . A bird of prey will only be found where there is enough food source,” Puja Sharma, a local birder, said.
Waraich said there are a few dozen Peregrine falcons in and around Noida and Greater Noida. “We recently treated a Eurasian hobby, which had some injuries, we had also treated a Peregrine falcon a while ago, which had suffered cuts. These are powerful birds and respond well to human communication,” Nadeem Shehzad, from Wildlife Rescue, said.
The non-government bird rescue and treatment shelter is one of the few that treats raptors, or birds of prey, in Delhi-NCR. Peregrine falcons are known to have taken part in falconry. After World War II, its population suffered and the species was and seriously endangered in the mid-20th century.