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golfpic | all galleries >> Galleries >> Some recent shots > Peregrine falcon (second year female undergoing a molt into adult plumage)
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July 2026

Peregrine falcon (second year female undergoing a molt into adult plumage)

This second year bird wandered into the territory of a breeding pair of peregrine falcons. It still has brown juvenile feathers which will turn blue-gray during a major molt in its second year, spring of 2026.

You can see the adult blue-gray feathers growing in as the Juvenal browns feathers fall out. The eye-ring is already yellow which is obtained in its first winter (the winter following its birth).

Peregrine Falcons can start breeding after 1-year of age so it's possible this is the female bird of the pair. But the math dosen't add up because most peregrines fledge in June-July and the pair at this location already had a fledgling. So, it's mostly likely a bird that wandered into the territory.


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golfpic21-Jul-2026 22:41
Thanks. I have been observing peregrine falcons at nesting sites for almost 2 decades now starting with peregrines at Niagara Falls in the mid-2000 and this is the first time seeing a second-year bird in another pairs nesting site. Doesn't happen every day so it was quite the sighting. In their second year of life they start to molt into their adult plumage. For this female peregrine that would be around spring 2026 onward.
Missed Opportunities21-Jul-2026 10:59
Nice encounter - well photographed!