Duck Hawk vs Mexican Ground Squirrel

Falco peregrinus compared with Ictidomys mexicanus

Taxonomic Classification

Rank	Duck Hawk	Mexican Ground Squirrel
Kingdom same	Animalia (Animals)	Animalia (Animals)
Phylum same	Chordata (Chordates)	Chordata (Chordates)
Class	Aves (Birds)	Mammalia (Mammals)
Order	Falconiformes (Falconiformes)	Rodentia (Rodents)
Family	Falconidae	Sciuridae (Squirrels)
Genus	Falco	Ictidomys
Species	Falco peregrinus	Ictidomys mexicanus

Evolutionary Relationship

Duck Hawk and Mexican Ground Squirrel share a common ancestor at the Phylum level: Chordata. (Chordates)

Conservation Status

Duck Hawk

LC — Least Concern

Population: ~140.0K

Trend: Increasing ↑

Mexican Ground Squirrel

LC — Least Concern

Physical Characteristics

Attribute	Duck Hawk	Mexican Ground Squirrel
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).

Mexican Ground Squirrel

Habitat

Typically found in diverse terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems.

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.