Even when they are raising young, the tropical regions of the world usually provide them with enough food to raise a healthy family. With more available prey, there is no reason for a Peregrine Falcon to leave its home. Since temperatures along the equator are not as extreme as in the northern and southern regions of the world, there tends to be more year-round prey. This makes sense if you think about one definition of migration: the seasonal movement from one area to another for the purpose of finding food or to reproduce, usually triggered by a change in the weather.
Peregrine Falcons that live closer to the equator tend not to migrate. That would be like crossing the entire United States seven times in one year! Some of these individuals travel from the Arctic nearly to Antarctica, making a yearly round trip journey of more than 20,000 miles. In the northern part of their range, Peregrine Falcons are migratory, which means they travel from their breeding grounds to non-breeding grounds and back every year. But Peregrine Falcons not only fly fast, some populations fly incredibly long distances, too. What they doĪmong the most impressive birds to watch hunt, Peregrine Falcons are known for their high speeds, impressive aerial acrobatics, and unmistakable grace. As in many urban settings, a resident falcon family returns from migration each spring to raise young on the ledge of a tall building in downtown Boise, Idaho. These falcons like to nest in high cliffs, but in cities, Peregrine Falcons use tall buildings or bridges instead. 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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