Sorry I am lost at the suggestion, although the dark mask and white behind is not typically placed (only going by the picture, I did not see what you saw),
the 2 editions of the photo vary a lot. There are many (19) accepted subspecies of Peregrines around the world. They are not very different. F.p. calidus is northern European. Typically there is more difference in appearance between adult & young, than between
ssp. I have lots of raptor books but even the 416 page “The Peregrine Falcon” by Dr Derek Ratcliffe (my copy is signed by the author), at a quick look does not appear to discuss the variation (it is mostly about Britain). The Brown & Amadon 2 volume set shows
F.p. calidus and by the painting it is very pale below, almost white background to the modestly dark barring. It is not easy to find that information, though a web search on Peregrine Falcon subspecies does get some. I have copied below the most relevant extract
I could find
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_falcon#Subspecies.
Philip
·
Falco peregrinus calidus, described by John
Latham in 1790, was formerly called leucogenys and includes caeruleiceps. It breeds in the Arctic tundra of Eurasia,
from Murmansk Oblast to roughly Yana and Indigirka
Rivers, Siberia. It is completely migratory, and travels south in winter as far as South
Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. It is often seen around wetland habitats.[34] It
is paler than peregrinus, especially on the crown. Males weigh 588 to 740 g (1.296–1.631 lb), while females weigh 925 to 1,333 g (2.039–2.939 lb).[5]
·
Falco peregrinus macropus, described by Swainson
in 1837, is the Australian peregrine falcon. It is found in Australia in all regions except the southwest. It is non-migratory.
It is similar to brookei in appearance, but is slightly smaller and the ear region is entirely black. The feet are proportionally large.[11]
From: Geoffrey Dabb [
Sent: Saturday, 9 March, 2019 9:21 AM
To: 'COG Chat'
Subject: RE: [canberrabirds] Odd Peregrine
Perhaps just a young bird?
From: shorty <>
Sent: Saturday, 9 March 2019 5:20 AM
To: COG Chat <>
Subject: [canberrabirds] Odd Peregrine
We went for a walk on the Honyong-Cotter walking track yesterday and at the first earth filled dam from the main dam i spotted a Falcon and from a fleeting glace thought Hobby so i took a quick off the hip shot to check my id later.
It turned out to be a Peregrine but it does not look like one of ours and i am thinking ssp calidus, thoughts?
We may not be able to confirm this from my only lousy pic so if anyone is going out to Cotter this weekend please keep an eye out for it. It would be great if someone could get a better pic.
