NOVA

The peregrine falcon...

The world's fastest animal.

Falcons in general have evolved to be fast

and peregrine falcons have evolved to the extreme.

Living on the edge of what is physically possible,

they seem to challenge the very forces of nature.

They can reach speeds three times faster than a cheetah...

Withstand forces of gravity,

twice that of fighter pilots...

And will fearlessly attack prey double their size.

To understand their supernatural abilities,

we're going to see the world

through the eyes of this young peregrine.

He's going to be a little pocket rocket I think.

And his unusual family.

Go, go, go, go! Hey.

We'll learn what it takes

to become an elite high-speed hunter.

And by following a young family of peregrines

in downtown Chicago...

Some of the world's leading scientists...

He's absolutely locked on.

The pupils wide open.

Woo-hoo!

We'll reveal the secrets of the world's fastest animal.

Right now, on "NOVA."

Major funding for "NOVA" is provided by the following:

At over 100 miles per hour,

peregrines can launch a high-speed attack.

They are one of the deadliest predators on the planet.

Like their cousins, the hawks and owls,

they have sharp talons and keen eyesight.

But what makes them lethal

is their ability to do something most other birds of prey cannot.

They climb to great heights... and dive.

By folding their wings

they can reach speeds around 200 miles per hour...

to intercept and kill their fast-moving prey

in mid-flight.

It's a skill so remarkable it must be seen to be believed.

Their hunting prowess has made them

one of the most widespread predators on Earth.

They live on every continent, except Antarctica...

from coastal cliffs...

to arctic tundra.

Peregrine falcons are almost unique

in being virtually world-wide.

The birds from the farthest north in the Arctic,

migrate the farthest south, all the way down to South America.

Birds at our latitude in the central United States

often don't migrate at all, they're sedentary.

But they're all recognizable as peregrine falcons.

Peregrines have adapted to almost every habitat.

So what is the secret of their success?

To find out, we need to go back...

When all the potential of this high-speed flyer

is held within one tiny egg.

In the waiting room of a captive breeding facility,

a rather unusual parent is patiently awaiting an arrival.

It's captive breeding that's rescued peregrine falcons

from the brink of extinction.

You're taking a long time, aren't you?

Are you going to come out and say hello?

Lloyd Buck grew up with a passion for birds.

Good boy, clever boy.

Now, he and his wife Rose have a very special family

of all types of birds... Including Arnie, Lily,

and Moses, a four-year-old peregrine falcon.

Lloyd and Rose love and care for all of them.

Good boys.

With their feathered charges,

like these two barn owl chicks,

they educate children about the importance

of protecting birds in the wild.

They also train them to star in films.

But it's the peregrines that Lloyd most loves to train.

As he puts his four-year-old peregrine Moses to the test...

He'll reveal what makes peregrines

such effective, high-speed predators.

They're my ultimate bird,

I've loved peregrines since I was a young boy.

As much as you fly them and as much as you get

that bond with them

there's always that little bit of wildness still there.

And now, there will be a new addition to their family.

This egg is from a captive pair of peregrines.

The chick inside begins to cut a perfect line,

using a tiny bump on its beak, known as an egg tooth.

Finally!

60 hours of waiting.

No sleep and all of a sudden they've just gone crazy.

It's amazing to see.

Wow, look at that!

He's nearly out.

And to think that this little chick,

in about 45 days' time, will be fully grown

and have everything it needs

to be the fastest animal on the planet.

Over the next few months, with Lloyd's expert guidance,

the tiny chick will learn to master every skill

needed to fly and hunt like a wild peregrine.

In the wild, peregrine parents have just 12 weeks

to teach their chicks everything they need

to be a high speed predator.

In traditional coastal habitats

peregrines raise their young on cliff ledges

in nests called eyries.

Here there is ample prey to feed the family,

and room for juveniles to chase and learn to hunt.

But, these adaptable birds have recently moved

into a whole new world...

ours.

One city provides a perfect window

into their high-speed lives.

Chicago, home to 2.7 million people...

and more than 20 pairs of peregrine falcons.

This metropolis may not seem like a wildlife haven,

but unlike many other animals,

peregrines are thriving in cities.

Peregrine falcons only need two things to really prosper.

One is high spots to nest,

and so ledges on skyscrapers and bridges provide

ample nesting sites and flying birds as a food source.

And cities have a wealth of birds...

Feral pigeons and starlings and house sparrows.

So cities are wonderful places for peregrines to be.

And here in Chicago, as many as six nests

can be found in one square mile of downtown real estate.

It's now early May.

In the window box of this 28th floor apartment,

a female peregrine has three hungry mouths to feed.

She makes a sharp call to encourage them

to open their beaks wide.

Her partner soon joins her on the balcony.

This family is called the Perrys.

For the last three years,

they've made their home on this balcony,

watched by the man who lives here, Dacey Arashiba.

This rare situation provides an incredible opportunity

to see what it takes for wild peregrines to grow up in a city.

At just a few days old,

the chicks need regular brooding.

When the chicks first hatch, they're completely helpless,

they can't even keep themselves warm.

So the female treats them as if they're still eggs.

She sits on them, broods them,

she does that for the first two or three days.

While the female tends the chicks,

the male has his work cut out, hunting their next meal.

But city living has some surprising advantages.

As the sun beats down on Chicago's buildings,

Helping him to lift off and soar almost effortlessly.

Chicago's waterfront location also attracts

an abundance of migrating birds... potential prey.

Peregrines normally hunt during the day,

Much needed help when feeding a growing family.

Now, at seven days old,

the chicks have already fully opened their eyes.

Peregrines rely on their vision to spot and track their prey

at incredibly high speeds.

This sense is critical for their survival.

But just how good is peregrine eyesight?

To find out, Lloyd's headed to the Lake District

in northern England, with Moses...

A peregrine he's raised over the past four years.

He's wearing a falconry hood, to keep him calm.

Lloyd's enlisted the help

of avian sensory expert Graham Martin.

They will test how far Moses can see down the valley.

First, they fit him with a GPS telemetry device

which tracks the exact distance he's flying.

Moses is trained to fly towards a bright yellow lure

which Lloyd throws and catches.

For the first run Lloyd positions himself

one kilometer, or .6 miles, away.

Okay, Graham, hood is off.

Hood is off.

He throws the lure straight up in the air,

trying to catch Moses' eye.

Gone, off, gone, gone, gone.

200 meters.

Very straight track to you, 400 meters.

On the GPS, the straight track shows

he's locked onto his target.

500 meters.

Crossing the stream now.

800 meters.

Which is more than can be said for Lloyd.

Where is he?

Just crossing over the river.

Ha, there he is, here he is!

Hey, hey hey hey.

Hey!

I've got him, I've got him.

I had no idea where you were my boy till that last second.

Spotting the lure at .6 miles seems easy enough for Moses.

But how will he fare when Lloyd doubles the distance?

Now. Hood is off. Hood is off.

Even at 1.2 miles... Come on, Mo. Come on.

Moses heads straight for his target.