Duck Hawk vs Gray-footed Spiny-rat

Falco peregrinus compared with Proechimys poliopus

Key Differences

Duck Hawk is Least Concern while Gray-footed Spiny-rat is Vulnerable.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Duck Hawk	Gray-footed Spiny-rat
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Falconidae	Echimyidae
Genus	Falco	Proechimys
Species	Falco peregrinus	Proechimys poliopus

Evolutionary Relationship

Duck Hawk and Gray-footed Spiny-rat share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

View Phylum: Chordata

Conservation Status

Duck Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~140.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Gray-footed Spiny-rat

VU — Vulnerable

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Duck Hawk	Gray-footed Spiny-rat
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).

Gray-footed Spiny-rat

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Found in Venezuela. Currently classified as Vulnerable 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.