Peregrines dive at their prey going 200 mph. They, not cheetahs, are the fastest animals on earth. When a falcon arrives at its target, it does what it has come for swiftly and efficiently. “Direct stomp, clean kill,” it says in my notes. And yes, they will take on a full-grown gull. The downside of all that pursuing prowess is that falcons do not excel at the leisurely glide. Hawks and eagles and other “long wings,” as Nico calls them, have the surface area needed to coast and ride thermals, hunting as they go.
