A handful of bird species are said to be cosmopolitan. Now, I'm not talking about a ladies'

glamour magazine or a cranberry-flavored cocktail. The word cosmopolitan in this context means

found all over the world. The Peregrine Falcon is the perfect example of a cosmopolitan species.

In fact, no other bird has a wider range than the peregrine.

Now, I can just see the kid in the back of the class, shoot her hand up, and she's like,

but Mr. Philipson, that's not true because I read that the common pigeon,

technically known as the rock dove or rock pigeon, Colombo Livia,

well, it lives all over the world,

and it lives in more places than any other bird.

Okay, yes, that's true, smarty pants.

But the reason rock pigeons live everywhere

is because humans domesticated them long ago,

and we've also moved them around the planet.

So, if we ignore, for now, species

with unnatural distributions, we can return to the Peregrine Falcon. Not only is this bird of

prey the most cosmopolitan of all feathered animals, it's also more widespread than just about

every mammal. So, dear listener, wherever you are in the world right now,

there's a good chance you have peregrine falcons bolting through your airspace,

at least occasionally.

Unless you're in New Zealand, then you're out of luck. Sorry.

We have these amazing raptors in Oregon, where I live.

There's a beautiful spot on the Pacific coast about an hour from here.

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