A Lecture by a University Lecturer in Australia on Peregrine Falcons - IELTS Listening Sample Answer

The IELTS Listening section contains four sections and a total of forty questions. The IELTS listening section tests a candidate’s ability to listen to different types of audio and question types. This topic is section Four of IELTS listening and contains ten questions. The best way to prepare for IELTS listening is practicing from IELTS listening practice papers. This section contains two question types:

• Complete the sentence
• Complete the table

Audio Transcript

You will hear a talk by a university lecturer in Australia on a type of bird called a peregrine falcon.

Professor: I'm Professor Sam Richards, and I've come as the third guest lecturer on this course in Australian birds of prey. My job is to keep a watchful scientific eye on the state of Tasmanian Peregrine's so I'll start by giving you some background to these magnificent Birds of Prey before I speak briefly on my own project. Peregrine falcons are found on all continents with the exception of Antarctica. So don't go looking for them at the South Pole. They are found almost everywhere in Australia and it's interesting to note that the name Peregrine implies that they are Wanderers that they move from place to place following the seasons and indeed in most parts of the world. They're migratory birds, but not in Australia however, they prefer to stay in one place. They're known to be the world's fastest creature and they have been tracked by radar diving down towards the ground at a hundred eighty kilometers an hour. However, a number of textbooks claim that their flight speed can go as high as 350 kilometers an hour. So there's still some dispute about just how fast they can actually fly.

Female Peregrine Falcons, like all other Australian Falcons, are larger than their male counterparts. In fact, the female is almost a third larger than the male in the case of Peregrine's while she stays close to the nest to protect the eggs and the young chicks. The male is mostly occupied looking for food. Peregrines typically lay two or three eggs per nest. And after the eggs have hatched when the chicks are about 20 days old they start to fly. So they fly at a very young age by the time they are just 28 days old. They've already reached full adult size. In other words. They're fully grown.

Soon after this at about two months after hatching from the egg. They leave the nest for good,from this point on their own. Unlike their parents who have learned how to hunt the young, Falcons are not good at feeding themselves. And so during the first year about 60% of them die.Birds managed to live to breeding age at two years old. They generally go on to live for another six or seven years.

When we come across nests with young chicks. The first thing we do is catch the chicks before they're able to fly. We have to catch them at an early age. We then attach identification rings to their legs. These rings are made of color-coated aluminum and they allow us to identify the birds through binoculars later in their lives thirdly because we need to know how many males and how many female chicks are being born. We note the sex of the chicks. Noting the sex of the birds is a vital part of our research as I will discuss later. The next thing to do is to take a blood sample from the chicks. We take the blood sample so that we can check the level of pesticide in their bodies. Peregrine falcons can build dangerous quantities of pesticides in their bloodstream by feeding on smaller mammals, which in turn feed on crops grown on farms where pesticides are used. Finally, we check the birds thoroughly. Really checking the birds for their General Health. This whole process only takes a few minutes. In fact, most of our time in the field is actually spent trying to find the nests, not on the data collection itself.

Well, that's all I have for you today if you'd like to do some further reading.

That is the end of Section 4.

Questions 31-33

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

PEREGRINE FALCONS

The Peregrine falcons found in 31 _______ are not migratory birds.

There is disagreement about their maximum 32 _______ .

When the female is guarding the nest, the male spends most of his time 33 _______

Question 31.

Answer: Australia

Explanation: As stated in the lecture, “ in most parts of the world they are migratory birds. But not in Australia,” therefore Australia is the answer.

Also, check:

Question 32.

Answer: Flight speed

Explanation: The speaker says that it is claimed by a number of textbooks that their flight speed can go as high as 350 kilometers an hour, so there is still some dispute about just how fast they can actually fly. BY this statement of the speaker we can clearly see that the answer is ‘flight speed’.

Question 33.

Answer: searching for food / looking for food

Explanation: We can hear the speaker telling that “the male is mostly occupied looking for food.” So the answer is ‘looking for food’.

Question 34-37

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.

Question 34.

Answer: start to fly

Explanation: The speaker mentions, “when the chicks are about 20 days old, they start to fly.” Therefore, the answer is - start to fly.

Question 35.

Answer: fully grown

Explanation: The speaker mentions that by the time they are just 28, they have already reached full adult size. In other words, they are fully grown. So the answer is fully grown.

Question 36.

Answer: leave the nest

Explanation: The speaker mentions that these falcons leave the nest when they are about 2 months old.

Question 37.

Answer: die

Explanation: The speaker mentions “during the first year”, which means during the first 1-12 months of the falcons, and the fact that 60% - more than half - of these falcons die.

Questions 38-40

Complete the table below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.

Question 38.

Answer: attach identification rings

Explanation: The speaker talks about the steps in the procedure in order. In the second step, he mentions “We then attach identification rings to their legs.” Therefore, the answer is - attach identification rings.

Question 39.

Answer: note (the) sex

Explanation: In the third step to know how many males and females are born people note the sex of the chicks. Hence the answer is - note the sex.

Question 40.

Answer: general health

Explanation: As stated by the speaker “Finally we check the birds thoroughly, really checking the birds for their general health.” Accordingly, the answer is general health.