CRITTERS OF NORTH IDAHO: Peregrine falcon

Zooming down from the heavens faster than any other bird is Idaho’s state raptor, the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus). Now when I say “raptor,” I’m not talking about a velociraptor. Until relatively recently, the term “raptor” was used only to refer to birds of prey, like eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. Nowadays, thanks to 1993’s Jurassic Park, it is commonly used to describe a sickle-clawed, carnivorous dinosaur, much to the chagrin of ornithologists and paleontologists.