History of the Peregrine Falcon
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15th
Century Falconry
The Basics
The peregrine falcon is found on every continent except Antartica. Three specific subspecies exist in the United States today - Anatum, Peale's and Tundra. The falcon was among the first to be used during the heyday of Falconry in the Middle Ages, and it was a favorite with royalty and falconers for sport. The peregrine will usually lay 3-4 eggs and incubation lasts for 33 days. The male will incubate the eggs only when the female needs to feed.
Population
During the time of Queen Elizabeth I up to the end of WW II, we have record of approximately 800 pairs of peregrine falcons throughout the world. In the 1950's we have data that tells us there was approx. 7,000 pairs of peregrine's in the United States and 8,000 pairs in Europe, a dramatic increase! But, by the 1970's the peregrine population had suffered a decline and there were only a few hundred left in the United States and 1,000 pairs left in Europe. In 1977 the first captive bred peregrine family was raised in the wild. And, with the introduction of more captive breeding programs, in the 1980's we begin to see a steady increase of the peregrine falcon once more. By the mid 1980's records show 1,200 pairs in the United States and 4,000 pairs in Europe.
The Start of the Decline
During the early 1700's the peregrine falcon had been hunted because it was feared that they were a threat to humans and livestock. As time progressed, the falcons were used to assist in hunting game and then they were hunted for money! The peregrine always brought in big $$$$; in the Middle East as much as $100,000 for one falcon. Poaching is also another cause for the decline of the peregrine. Both eggs and chicks were stolen. But, while hunting and poaching decreased the number of falcons throughout the world, the major, drastic decline of the peregrine falcon was caused by the chemical pesticide DDT.
DDT
During the 1950's a pesticide called DDT was widely used throughout the world to eliminate a variety of insects. But, when various bird populations began dying off quickly, DDT was eventually investigated and found to be the chief cause of this decline. DDT had turned out to be fat soluble, not water soluble. So, when insects were poisoned, DDT remained in their fat tissue. When these poisoned insects were eaten the DDT in their system worked its way up the food chain also. Large amounts of DDT built up in the fat tissue of peregrine falcons and caused their eggshells to thin and crack; they could not allocate enough calcium for hard shells. Other peregrines with large DDT concentrations in their systems would either die or would never have chicks again.
