Peregrine falcon

"FineArtAmerica, Craig Brown"

The peregrine falcon is known as the fasted creature in the animal kingdom, dive bombing or stooping to catch prey and reaching speeds of over 200 miles per hour.

The peregrine is currently in the sensitive list in Washington state, and were in the endangered list not too long ago.  In the year 1980, only four pairs were counted, but populations have increased to a more comfortable level since then.

The population of the falcon are generally widespread in the state, found in western Washington (Pacific Coast, San Juan Islands, Puget Sound coast, Seattle, Western Cascades) With a few nesting areas spread out through eastern washington.

The peregrine falcon can be found in North America and much of the world.  Peregrine falcons usually live an average life span of 15 years, and have a wing span ranging from 14 to 19 inches in length.  Once falcons are born, they grow rapidly and at day 20-30 they begin to grow feathers.  After this period they start to fly, and after two months they begin to learn to hunt, starting with small flying insects.  After 2-3 years the falcons are mature enough to mate, and males will court a female by performing aerial acrobatics to impress her.  Females will lay somewhere between 2 to 5 eggs, and mates will be breeding partners for life, meeting back at the same nest during mating season.

The biggest threat to peregrine falcons is DTT, an insecticide.  After eating other mammals and insects contaminated by DTT, peregrine falcons began to lay eggs with thinner egg shells resulting in very low birth rate.  Fortunately, DTT was banned in 1972 and populations have increased since the cancellation of this practice.

There are not any records of climate change affecting the falcons in this region, but up towards the arctic in the nation of Canada they have seen declines in population.  More frequent and heavier rain storms have been caused by gradual warming year by year.  This has caused both hypothermia for young chicks as well as starvation.  It is speculated that heavy rain storms have also caused decline in prey population, linking the cause of falcon starvation.

Peregrine falcons are vulnerable because they are top predators.  They require a large area as territory and therefore breeding is more sparse and desolate.  Top predators will also absorb higher amounts of toxins than other links down the food chain, it all accumulates at one point, and this is what caused DTT to be such an issue for the peregrine falcon.

Breeding and nursing projects were used after the ban of DTT, reintroducing a couple thousand peregrine falcons back into the wild.  Falcons were cared for in a laboratory till three weeks of age, then were set out into habitat in an artificial nest, and fed until they were capable of hunting and became independent.

I picked the peregrine falcon because of my admiration for birds of prey.  I think they're majestic creatures plain and simple.  I did not know that they were put on the endangered list at all, but was not too surprised it was caused by conventional agriculture.