The most common factor among these different locations is the presence of good nesting habitat.
This versatility allows them to live in almost any type of climate and habitat – and they do!ĭeserts, seashores, mangroves, wetlands, tundra, grasslands, dry forests, scrubland, and craggy mountains are places one might find a Peregrine Falcon. They are strong, efficient flyers and skilled at catching a variety of prey from small songbirds to large ducks. Where they liveįrom Morocco to Malaysia, Greenland to Greece, Australia to Argentina, and India to Iraq, Peregrine Falcons live and breed on every continent in the world except Antarctica. Endangered Species List! Today, it is still one of the most successfully recovered endangered species ever. In 1999, the Peregrine Falcon was removed from the U.S. When all was said and done, more than 4,000 young birds had been released. Through captive breeding and release, these falcons were restored to their historic range throughout the United States. Biologists worked hard, climbing cliffs and constructing release sites, to place young falcons into the wild. Though many people didn’t think it could be done, The Peregrine Fund and other organizations worked together to raise thousands of Peregrine Falcons in captivity.Ībout a month after hatching, young bird were ready to be released. Here, the adults received good care and were given healthy food and vitamins, which helped them produce healthy young. Special chambers were built to house breeding pairs. The Peregrine Fund, which was founded in 1970 to save the Peregrine Falcon, pioneered many techniques for successfully breeding the birds in captivity and releasing them into the wild. Environmental Protection Agency banned the use of DDT, which made recovery of the species possible. Without young falcons being born, the population was in trouble. When an eggshell cracks or is broken, the young bird developing inside cannot survive. They all broke before hatching, usually when the parents sat on them to keep them warm during incubation. Their eggs lacked calcium, which meant they were thin-shelled and weak. This affected the female falcons’ ability to lay healthy eggs.
When Peregrine Falcons, in turn, ate these small birds, DDT accumulated in the falcons’ systems as well, but at an even higher rate. The more contaminated insects they ate, the more they themselves became contaminated. When small birds ate insects contaminated by this pesticide, some of this chemical remained in their bodies. By the 1960s, Peregrine Falcons were gone from the eastern United States and large portions of the western states due to the effects of this pesticide.Īt the time, DDT was being sprayed in agricultural fields, marshes, and other landscapes as a means to control insect infestations. In the mid-1900s, the pesticide DDT was having a devastating effect on many bird species and other wildlife across North America.
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