Duck Hawk vs Giant Otter

Falco peregrinus compared with Pteronura brasiliensis

Key Differences

• Duck Hawk is Least Concern while Giant Otter is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Duck Hawk	Giant Otter
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Carnivora (Carnivorans)
Family	Falconidae	Mustelidae (Weasels & Otters)
Genus	Falco	Pteronura
Species	Falco peregrinus	Pteronura brasiliensis

Evolutionary Relationship

Duck Hawk and Giant Otter share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Duck Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~140.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Giant Otter

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Duck Hawk	Giant Otter
Diet	Carnivore	—
Average Lifespan	15 years	—
Average Length	48 cm	—
Average Weight	1.0 kg	—

Habitat & Geographic Range

Duck Hawk

Habitat

Typically found in diverse ecosystems where prey species are available.

Range

Widely distributed across Europe (7 countries), North America (United States), and South America (Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela).

Giant Otter

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Colombia and Venezuela. Currently classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, this species faces significant conservation challenges across its range.

Duck Hawk

The fastest animal on the planet, peregrine falcons achieve aerial dive speeds exceeding 320 km/h when stooping on prey, stunning or killing birds in flight with a blow from their feet. Found on every continent except Antarctica in diverse habitats from Arctic tundra to tropical rainforest. Nearly extinct in North America and Europe from DDT poisoning in the 1960s–70s, peregrines recovered dramatically following pesticide bans and successful urban nesting programs.

Shared Countries

Both species can be found in 2 countries:

🇨🇴 Colombia 🇻🇪 Venezuela