Peregrine Falcon 2 Pence Isle of Man Authentic Coin Money for Jewelry and Craft Making

Peregrine Falcon 2 Pence Isle of Man Authentic Coin Money for Jewelry and Craft Making

Reverse: Peregrine falcon superimposed on an ornamental shield
Lettering: 2

Obverse: Right facing bust of Queen Elizabeth II, wearing the George IV State Diadem
Lettering: ISLE OF MAN ELIZABETH II

Features
Issuer Isle of Man
Queen Elizabeth II (1952-date)
Type Standard circulation coin
Years 1985-1987
Value 2 Pence
0.02 = 0.028 USD
Currency Pound (decimalized, 1971-date)
Composition Bronze
Weight 7.12 g
Diameter 25.91 mm
Shape Round
Orientation Medal alignment ↑↑
Number N# 15383
References KM# 144, Schön# 171

Wikipedia:
The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), also known as the peregrine, and historically as the duck hawk in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey (raptor) in the family Falconidae. A large, crow-sized falcon, it has a blue-grey back, barred white underparts, and a black head. The peregrine is renowned for its speed, reaching over 320 km/h (200 mph) during its characteristic hunting stoop (high-speed dive), making it the fastest bird in the world, as well as the fastest member of the animal kingdom. According to a National Geographic TV program, the highest measured speed of a peregrine falcon is 389 km/h (242 mph). As is typical for bird-eating raptors, peregrine falcons are sexually dimorphic, with females being considerably larger than males.

The peregrine falcon is a highly admired falconry bird, and has been used in falconry for more than 3,000 years, beginning with nomads in central Asia. Its advantages in falconry include not only its athleticism and eagerness to hunt, but an equable disposition that leads to it being one of the easier falcons to train. The peregrine falcon has the additional advantage of a natural flight style of circling above the falconer ("waiting on") for game to be flushed, and then performing an effective and exciting high-speed diving stoop to take the quarry. The speed of the stoop not only allows the falcon to catch fast flying birds, it also enhances the falcon's ability to exert maneuvers to catch highly agile prey, and allows the falcon to deliver a knockout blow with a fist-like clenched talon against game that may be much larger than itself.

Cultural significance
Due to its striking hunting technique, the peregrine has often been associated with aggression and martial prowess. The Ancient Egyptian solar deity Ra was often represented as a man with the head of a Peregrine Falcon adorned with the solar disk. Native Americans of the Mississippian culture (c. 800–1500) used the peregrine, along with several other birds of prey, in imagery as a symbol of "aerial (celestial) power" and buried men of high status in costumes associating to the ferocity of raptorial birds.[108] In the late Middle Ages, the Western European nobility that used peregrines for hunting, considered the bird associated with princes in formal hierarchies of birds of prey, just below the gyrfalcon associated with kings. It was considered "a royal bird, more armed by its courage than its claws". Terminology used by peregrine breeders also used the Old French term gentil, "of noble birth; aristocratic", particularly with the peregrine.