A Second Chance

I found this beautiful peregrine falcon distressed and hopping in the woods in early December. She had broken both legs. The veterinarian put pins in her legs. Thankfully, her legs healed correctly and they removed the pins. She continues to recuperate at a raptor specialist’s house. She has been flying in his flight cage. Hopefully, she will be released into the wild soon.

NEPA requires a review of species listed under the Endangered Species Act. The peregrine falcon is an ESA success story having been extirpated in the eastern United States and southeastern Canada by the mid-1960s. The peregrine falcon population had been decimated by the use of DDT which was known to thin eggshells, thus, halting successful reproduction in many bird species. The American peregrine falcon (found in the SW) and Arctic subspecies were listed as an endangered species in 1970, recovery efforts occurred, and DDT was banned in the US (1972) and Canada (1970). On August 25, 1999, the American peregrine falcon was delisted after recovery efforts had shown success. The peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771) remains protected as an endangered species in New York and under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. However, the future of the Peregrine Falcon in New York State is still uncertain and the population is not considered stable at this time (Levine 1998).

For more information on this species, see:
New York Natural Heritage Program. 2019. Online Conservation Guide for Falco peregrinus. https://guides.nynhp.org/peregrine-falcon/. NYSDEC. http://www.dec.ny.gov/animals/7059.html.