Duck Hawk vs Lesser Noctule

Falco peregrinus compared with Nyctalus leisleri

Key Differences

Duck Hawk is Least Concern while Lesser Noctule is Endangered.

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Duck Hawk	Lesser Noctule
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Chiroptera (Bats)
Family	Falconidae	Vespertilionidae
Genus	Falco	Nyctalus
Species	Falco peregrinus	Nyctalus leisleri

Evolutionary Relationship

Duck Hawk and Lesser Noctule 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 ↑

Lesser Noctule

EN — Endangered

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Duck Hawk	Lesser Noctule
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).

Lesser Noctule

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

Range

Distributed across Belgium, Denmark, Luxembourg, Sweden, and Ukraine. 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.