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1. The peregrine falcon is the fastest creature on earth, but just how fast can it fly?
Answer: 200+ mph
Interesting Information:The answer is 200+ mph. It has been proven that speeds of over 200mph have been reached, and one "National Geographic" film crew claim they recorded a peregrine flying 242 mph! However, they do not achieve this speed in horizontal flight.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
50-100 mph, 150-200 mph, 100-150 mph
2. What is the scientific name of the red-tailed hawk?
Answer: Buteo jamaicensis
Interesting Information:Buteo regalis is the scientific name for the ferruginous hawk, Haliaeetus leucocephalus is the bald eagle, and Pandion haliaetus is the osprey.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
Buteo regalis, Haliaeetus leucocephalus, Pandion haliaetus
3. Most peregrine falcons reach top speeds when they fall through the sky after their prey. What is this hunting technique called?
Answer: Stoop
Interesting Information:A peregrine falcon will dive down from a great height and stoop down vertically onto its unfortunate prey. However, some peregrines living in tundra or desert will prefer to chase prey horizontally.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Fall, Chase, Dive
4. What does the red-tailed hawk often prey upon?
Answer: all of these
Interesting Information:Red-tails often prey upon all of these animals. Their prey items can range in size from as big as Jackrabbits to as small as some insects.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
rodents, snakes, other birds
5. In Africa and Europe, the term "buzzard" refers to what type of bird?
Answer: hawk
Interesting Information:Don't let the word "buzzard" confuse you. In the New World (especially the U.S.) it is sometimes used to refer to vultures, but in the Old World "buzzard" is used exclusively to refer to hawks. There are 10 different kinds of buzzards in Africa and 3 kinds of buzzards in Europe.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Raptor Rapture - A Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
vulture, falcon, harrier
6. Which bird of prey can catch an animal like a young gazelle?
Answer: martial eagle
Interesting Information:The martial eagle is the largest eagle in Africa. Its diet consists of gazelle, warthog, gamebirds, storks and large reptiles. This bird is at risk of being endangered because of farmers. The farmers shoot martial eagles because they steal the farmers' sheep.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Birds of Prey: Kings of the Sky
Some incorrect choices:
bald eagle, tawny eagle, harpy eagle
7. What is the scientific name for a European Kestrel?
Answer: Falco tinnunculus
Interesting Information:The falco subbuteo is the hobby, the falco columbaris is the merlin, and the falco peregrinus is the peregrine falcon. As you would have guessed they are all related and are classified as falcons. The American kestrels' scientific name falco sparverius.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
Falco subbuteo, Falco columbarius, Falco peregrinus
8. What is the main diet of peregrines?
Answer: Birds
Interesting Information:Peregrines mainly eat medium-sized birds such as pigeons/doves, ducks, gulls, crows, wading birds and even grey herons! They will also eat mammals, such as rabbits and bats, but this is more unusual.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Fish, Small mammals, Large insects
9. While the color of the red-tailed hawk's tail is indeed a reddish tint, to be more specific, what is the coloration that most field guides, and bird enthusiasts alike describe it as?
Answer: rufous
Interesting Information:The rufous coloration is often used by ornithologists and birders in America, and almost any field guide will tell you that the coloration of the tail is indeed a rufous coloration. The rufous coloration is around a combination of red and orange. Maroon and burgundy are both too dark and orange or red aren't specific enough.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
orange, maroon, burgundy
10. What is the size of a European kestrel?
Answer: 35 centimetres
Interesting Information:European kestrels are afairly small for a bird of prey, but are not small for a falcon. Both hobbies and merlins are smaller.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
30 centimetres, 26 centimetres, 45 centimetres
11. What is the Latin name for a peregrine falcon?
Answer: Falco peregrinus
Interesting Information:Falco tinnuculus is a common kestrel, Falco subbuteo is a Eurasian hobby and the last is one a made up, but celer is the Latin word for fast.
Difficulty: Easy.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Falco tinnuculus, Falco subbuteo, Falco celer
12. Which type of bird did Benjamin Franklin suggest would be a better national symbol for the U.S. instead of the bald eagle?
Answer: turkey
Interesting Information:Benjamin Franklin felt that the bald eagle was lazy and cowardly compared to the turkey. In a famous letter to his daughter, Benjamin Franklin wrote: "For my own part, I wish the bald eagle had not been chosen as the representative of our country... For in truth, the turkey is in comparison a much more respectable bird, and withal a true original native of America."
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Raptor Rapture - A Bird of Prey
13. The bright yellow of the adult peregrine's legs, eye ring and cere could be an indicator/warning of what?
Answer: Health
Interesting Information:Although it is not 100% sure, most ornithologists think the bright yellow on the peregrine are an indicator of health. The healthier the peregrine, the brighter the yellow.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
A warning to other predators that it is potentilly deadly, To show it is an adult to other adult peregrines, They do not have bright yellow on any part of their body
14. How would most birders and ornithologists describe the red-tailed hawk's overall shape?
Answer: Large with long, broad, rounded wings and a broad, rounded tail
Interesting Information:The family Accipitridae has birds that, for the most part, fit all of these descriptions. But since the red tail belongs under the subfamily Buteoninae, (also known as buteo/buzzard hawks) this family is described almost perfectly by this standard.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
Small with short, broad, rounded wings and a broad, rounded tail, Large with short, broad, rounded wings and a forked tail, Large with long, pointed wings and a forked tail
15. Which bird of prey catches monkeys?
Answer: harpy eagle
Interesting Information:The harpy eagle is found in South America. It is one of the biggest eagles in the world with a wingspan of seven feet. When angry, it stretches out its wings and screeches hoarsely. One time, a scientist saw a harpy eagle carrying two monkeys in its talons!
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Birds of Prey: Kings of the Sky
Some incorrect choices:
golden eagle, booted eagle, imperial eagle
16. What is the most noticeable difference between the male and female kestrel?
Answer: The colour of their heads
Interesting Information:Males and females are a similar size, but the male's head is grey and the female is a chestnut colour all over. Other differences, although not so startling, are that the male has a grey tail and the markings on the male's back are weakly speckled.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
The colour of their legs, The size of their beaks, The colour of their eyes
17. Who wrote the book 'The Peregrine', a book focused on the life of peregrines that lived in the authors area?
Answer: J.A Baker
Interesting Information:Yep, J.A Baker wrote 'The Peregrine'. Ed Drewitt wrote the more recent 'Urban Peregrines'.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
J.R Baker, Chris Packham, Ed Drewitt
18. What is the main difference between the male and female red-tailed hawk?
Answer: size
Interesting Information:There are no major differences between the male and female red-tail besides size. While there are different subspecies, these do not count as different colorations. And of course they don't have different ranges, then they would never breed and then there would be no more red-tails.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
coloration, range, all of these
19. The term "raptor" comes from a Latin word meaning what?
Answer: "To seize, carry away"
Interesting Information:It is derived from the Latin word "rapere" which means "to seize, take, carry away, caught up". "Rapere" is also the basis for the English words "rape", "rapt", "rapture", "ravish", and the dinosaur known as "velociraptor". It refers to the way that raptors seize their prey with their feet and carry it away. In case you're curious, the wrong answers were all from Latin words beginning with an "a". "Acer" or "acre" (from which the words "acerbic", "acrid", and "exacerbate" were derived) means "sharp or fierce". "Adoriri" means "to attack". Lastly, "aberro" (from which "aberration" was derived) means "to wander".
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Raptor Rapture - A Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
"Fierce, sharp", "To attack", "To wander"
20. Out of all the birds of prey, which is the heaviest?
Answer: Andean condor
Interesting Information:The Andean condor lives in the Andes mountains of South America. Its diet consists mostly of carrion, and if it cannot find dead animals, then it will attack small living mammals.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Birds of Prey: Kings of the Sky
21. What is the name of the famous film about a boy from Barnsley and his kestrel?
Answer: Kes
Interesting Information:This British film was adapted from the novel 'A Kestrel for a Knave', written by Barry Hines. It starred Colin Welland and new boy David Bradley and was made in 1968. It is a real tearjerker, but a great, great film.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
22. What was the biggest threat to peregrines?
Answer: DDT poisoning
Interesting Information:The biggest threat to peregrines was DDT poisoning. In the UK, the pesticide built up in the food chain and as a result peregrines and other raptors suffered from egg shell thinning, causing them to crack. By 1963-1964, 80% of the UK peregrine population was lost. However, they are now building their population once again.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Hunting, Loss of habitat, Golden eagle
23. The eerie "keeeaarrrrr" sound often heard on television or movies when a raptor is shown is made by which kind of raptor?
Answer: hawk
Interesting Information:The sound most often heard is that of a red-tailed hawk. A few other hawks, such as Swainson's hawks and ferruginous hawks, also make a similar noise. Unfortunately, the sound is often incorrectly attributed to eagles, even though eagles do not make a sound even remotely close to it. For example, the eagles in the recent "Lord of the Rings" trilogy were inaccurately given this "keeeaaaarrrr" hawk sound.
Many television and movie marketers feel that the true sounds made by eagles are not as majestic-sounding, and so when they show an eagle they play a red-tailed hawk's call instead. In real life, a bald eagle makes short, squeaky sounds that sound sort of like a cartoon duck laughing. Similarly, a golden eagle makes sounds like "keyelp" or a series of sharp sounding "ki-ki-ki-ki" calls.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Raptor Rapture - A Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
eagle, falcon, owl
24. How many toes does a bird of prey have on each foot?
Answer: Four
Interesting Information:The toes(talons)are used for killing prey and for carrying branches for their nests.(Owls and falcons don't build their own nests.)Sometimes, the talons are used for courtship displays also.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Birds of Prey: Kings of the Sky
25. In the early 1960s numbers of kestrels in the South of England dropped. What was the reason for this?
Answer: Pesticide use
Interesting Information:The use of pesticides meant that the small mammals on which the kestrels fed, such as mice and voles, were destroyed. With lack of food the kestrels died out. Bans on the likes of DDT helped and kestrels are now more common. They are still a beautiful sight no matter how often you see them.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
They were shot for sport, Cold weather meant eggs did not hatch, Young kestrels fell out of their nests and did not survive
26. For most species of raptors, which sex is significantly larger?
Answer: Female
Interesting Information:Females can be up to one third or a half times larger than the males, depending upon the species. This is called "reverse sexual dimorphism", and is most noticeable in the fast, bird-eating species like falcons and accipiters.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Raptor Rapture - A Bird of Prey
27. Which falcon is the largest of the ones listed here?
Answer: gyrfalcon
Interesting Information: In level flight, it is the fastest bird of prey. It is as large as a buzzard. It lives in cold regions.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: Birds of Prey: Kings of the Sky
Some incorrect choices:
white-tailed falcon, peregrine falcon, merlin
28. What colour is a juvenile peregrine's plumage?
Answer: Brown and white
Interesting Information:Juvenile peregrines are this colour because they have to be camouflaged, as they are inexperienced at fending for themselves. From the time is fledges, it takes 16 months until it obtains the beautiful blue/black and white adult plumage.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Black and white, Orange and white, Same as the adult
29. What type of habitat does the red-tailed hawk prefer?
Answer: All of these
Interesting Information:Red-tails prefer all of these habitats. They have an extremely large range and are extremely adaptable, especially for a bird of prey.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
Deciduous woodlands, Scrub deserts, Open plains
30. What is the call (or voice) of the European kestrel like?
Answer: Kee-kee-kee
Interesting Information:The kestrel does call and makes most noise whilst breeding. The young can be noisy when learning to fly and stretching their wings.
Difficulty: Average.
From Quiz: The Kestrel - Bird of Prey
Some incorrect choices:
Cawcaw, Tweet, It has no call or voice
31. What is the peregrine sometimes known as in North America? Hint: Think about what they eat.
Answer: Duck hawk
Interesting Information:The name comes from one of their most common prey, ducks. The Eurasian sparrowhawk is a hawk species, there is no such bird as a rabbit hawk, and a merlin is a very small species of falcon that looks like a tiny peregrine!
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Life of the Peregrine Falcon
Some incorrect choices:
Sparrow hawk, Rabbit hawk, Merlin
32. What is the call of the red-tailed hawk sound like?
Answer: Chee-eeee-ar
Interesting Information:The red-tail's voice has become the call that you now here in most movies as the call of other hawks or eagles thanks to its raspy yet crisp call.
Difficulty: Hard.
From Quiz: The Powerful Red-Tailed Hawk
Some incorrect choices:
Kea-kea-kea, Icky-Icky-Icky-Icky-fatang-ZIP-Boing-a, It doesn't make any noise
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