Brooklyn Bird Watch: Peregrine Falcon

Seen in Brooklyn Bridge Park, this Peregrine Falcon (scientific name: Falco peregrinus) is the world’s fastest animal. After a Peregrine Falcon spies their food from above, they can dive at speeds up to 200 miles per hour. Strong and fast, they hunt from high altitudes, descending on their prey — usually other birds, like the common pigeon in NYC — and kill by impact with their talons. Their prey also includes ducks, songbirds and shorebirds.

The Big Apple Peregrine Falcon finds nesting spots high up in the nooks and crannies of old buildings in New York City.

Peregrine Falcons became endangered in many regions after World War II because of the widespread use of pesticides. By 1964 they were virtually extinct east of the Mississippi River. The Federal Endangered Species Act of 1969 classified the Peregrine as ‘endangered’ and repopulation efforts began. New York and New Jersey led the Eastern states in conservation efforts beginning in the 1970s. In 1972, DDT, a harmful pesticide that nearly wiped out these falcons, was banned — a major win for the environmentalists.

The repopulation of Peregrine Falcons was interesting. Organizations bred peregrine falcons in captivity and then released the captive-bred falcons into the wild using a method called “hacking.” With the “hacking” release method, young birds were kept in partial captivity until they were able to fully fend for themselves. No kicking anyone out of the nest before they were ready. Today, the birds thrive and are one of the most successfully recovered endangered species.

One Brooklyn bird watcher reports that he was reminded of Peregrine Falcons when watching another ‘dive bomber,’ the Blue-Footed Booby, found in the Galapagos. Boobies dive for fish from high altitudes at speeds up to 100 mph, descending as much as 100 feet in water to grab a fish. Their wings fold back and they resemble arrows shot into the water when they hit the surface.