Surprisingly, falcons mostly eat other birds. It will rarely eat mammals. Occasionally, it will hunt down rats, voles, hares, mice, and squirrels. This isn't the only thing that makes up their diet. Insects and reptiles also make up a small proportion of their diet.

The peregrine falcon hunts usually at dawn and dusk. Since the peregrine falcon needs open space to hunt, it normally hunts over open water, marshes, valleys, and fields. The falcon begins a search for its prey from high in the air. Once it spots its prey, it begins its stoop. It folds back its wings and tail, and tucks in its feet. When the prey is truck, it clenches its fot, stunning or killing the prey. If prey is too heavy to carry, the falcon will drop to the ground and eat it.