Overview:  The peregrine falcon is said to be the fastest bird in the world, and it has certainly been on the fast track to recovery.  On August 20, 1999, the USFWS (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) officially delisted the peregrine falcon from the endangered species list.  The American subspecies of the peregrine falcon has made a substantial recovery from remarkably low numbers.  Historically, this race nested throughout most of North America, but by 1975 its population had been extirpated east of the Rockies and numbers in the west dropped to a low of 35 pairs.  The decline of peregrines is largely attributed to the use of DDT and other organochlorine pesticides from the 1940's until the 1970's, when DDT was banned.  Falcons suffered direct mortality, as well as eggshell-thinning when they consumed birds that had ingested pesticide-treated insects, vegetation, seeds, or other items.  Habitat loss due to development and human disturbance has also played a role in the decline of this species.  American peregrine falcons hunt in a variety of habitats, including grass lands, meadows, coastlines and wetlands.  Their hunting style is dramatic--an incredibly fast aerial attack (clocked at up to 200mph!) that stuns or kills a bird upon impact.  Historically, cliffs were preferred nesting sights for this falcon, but today many reintroduced birds nest on high-rise buildings and other high metropolitan structures, feeding on the seemingly endless supply of pigeons found in most urban areas.  Captive breeding, reintroduction, and habitat protection of this species have proven to be effective forms of recovery as populations within Washington, Idaho, Oregon, and many other states, are making dramatic comebacks.  In the west, the peregrine population has climbed to approximately 1500 pairs. The Peregrine Fund’s World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, founded in 1970 at Cornell University, played a big role in this species' recovery with their highly successful captive breeding program. It is estimated by the WDFW (Washington Department of Fish and Game) that 44 breeding pairs of American peregrines are currently present in Washington state. This is a big jump from the 1980 count of 4 pairs.   For more news on this and other information about this species check out the USFWS’s page @ http://www.fws.gov/r9endspp/perigfnt.html or the North Cascades' page @ http://www.nps.gov/noca/treas4-1.htm

ID Distribution:Peregrine falcons in Idaho are also successfully re-colonizing their former haunts after a reintroduction program was started in the 1990's. By 1995, 288 young peregrines were released at 16 separate sites in Idaho, resulting in the current established population of 17 nesting pairs.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

OR Distribution:  Oregon's population of American peregrine falcons was down to one breeding pair by the early 1960s.  But thanks to the banning of DDT and effective captive breeding and reintroduction programs, 68 nest sites were documented in 1998.  We do not yet have a peregrine sightings map for Oregon.