7/23/2019 Wlf 316 Poster Presentation Final
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Peregrine Falcon
(Falco peregrinus)Amaia Demaray Erica Carlson Jeremy Kestler
IntroductionThe peregrine falcon is the largest falcon throughout
North America. Its aerodynamic morphology allows it
to fly roughly 65 mph, but at speeds >200 mph while
diving. Peregrine falcons hunt by either grabbing itsprey in the air or by diving and stunning the prey with
sheer force. In the wild, it has few natural predators. 3
Peregrine falcons prefer to live near coastal areas, but
will also inhabit tundra, desert, or urban areas where
skyscrapers serve as nesting sites. Peregrine falcons
construct eyries, or scraped out depressions on high
cliffs. 3
The main cause of the population crash was
bioaccumulation of DDT, a pesticide commonly used
until the 1960’s. As DDT built up through the trophic
levels, it led to reproductive failure in peregrine
falcons by causing thinner eggshells. 3
Conservation EffortsThe peregrine falcon was listed as an
endangered species from 1970 – 1999. 2
Human intervention has been the biggestcontribution to their population increase due to
reintroduction and provision of nesting sites.
The peregrine falcon population in California
was increasing in the 1990’s due to fledgling
hacking in the northern and southern
populations. In 2014, it was determined that
the southern populations were increasing at a
slower rate due to remnants of DDT. 5, 6
Urban populations are acting as a source for
the reintroduction back into their historic
range. This dispersal is projected to take place
in 10-20 years. 4
Nesting sites are a limiting factor in peregrine
falcon growth. This is being remedied by
providing nesting sites in the form of trays or
boxes. 1
Overall, peregrine falcon population trends are
increasing. 2
Future Research NeedsBiologists suggest that population
monitoring is essential to determine
when and how management objective
should change.
Research needs to be done on the
variability in production of breeding
individuals. 1
Research should continue to be
conducted in urban areas to ensure that
the peregrine population increase
doesn’t disrupt urban ecology.
Overall, monitoring of the species needs
to continue to observe trends.
Literature Cited1 Gahbauer, M. A., D. M. Bird, K. E. Clark, T. French, D. W. Brauning, and F. A. McMorris. 2015. Productivity, mortality, and management of urban peregrine falcons in northeastern North America. Journal of WildlifeManagement 79:10-19.2 Green, M., T. Swem, M. Morin, R. Mesta, M. Klee, K. Hollar, R. Hazlewood, P. Delphey, R. Currie, and M. Amaral. 2003. Monitoring results for the breeding American peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum), 2003. US Fish & Wildlife Service, Portland,
Oregon, USA.3 The Nature Conservancy. 2015. Journey with Nature: Peregrine Falcon.
< http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/indiana/journeywithnature/peregrine-falcons.xml> Accessed 6 April 1015.4 Wakamiya, S. M., and C. L. Roy. 2009. Use of monitoring data and population viability analysis to inform reintroduction decisions: peregrine falcons in the Midwestern United States. Biological Conservation 142:1767-1776.5 Wootton, J. T., and D. A. Bell. 1992. A metapopulationmodel of the peregrine falcon in California: viability and management strategies. Ecological Applications 2:307-321.6 Wootton, T., and D. A. Bell. 2014. Assessing predictions of population viability analysis: peregrine falcon populations in California. Ecological Applications 24:1251-1257.
Peregrine falcons often construct eyrieson cliff faces
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