Hey Kinderchicklets!
Good question. Our parents are always telling us that we need to have a healthy balanced diet in order to grow big and strong. And they are right. Humans are omnivores, that means that our bodies have evolved to digest both plants and meat. Some animals, like cows, are eat just plants (they are called herbivores) and some, like polar bears, eat just meat (they are carnivores). For the environment, its important that we have omnivores, herbivores and carnivores in order to have a healthy environment, just the same way its important for humans to have a balanced diet to stay healthy. If we just had herbivores, then there would lots of cows, no grass and lots of cow poop.
With a carnivore that hunts the cows for meat, then we have fewer cows (the healthy ones run faster than the carnivore), more grass and less cow poop and some carnivore poop. And that keeps the environment healthy.
Now you were asking specifically about the peregrines ... well some birds eat seeds (they are herbivores), some birds eat insects (they are insectivores) and some eat other animals (they are carnivores). Peregrines primarily eat birds and sometimes small mammals, like bats so they are carnivores. For the peregrines, eating a variety of birds, like pigeon (which is like Kraft dinner for them!), small ducks (like a blue-winged teal or a pied-billed grebe), northern flickers, black-billed cuckoos and shorebirds like Sora Rails. I know your teacher has been showing you photos of the kinds of things that the peregrines eat and now you know that its important to have herbivores and carnivores to keep the environment healthy!!
Now don't forget to eat your vegetables, we want you all to grow up strong like the peregrines!!
Tracy
The Peregrine Chick
