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Recovery of Urban Peregrine Falcons
Project Description and Current Status: The peregrine falcon was one of the first species listed as Endangered under the US Endangered Species Act of 1974. Recovery for the species has gone so well that it was removed from this list in 1999. However, peregrine populations in the northeast have recovered more slowly and the species is still listed as Endangered in Pennsylvania and several other states. In 2003 peregrine falcons were found breeding on cliffsides in Pennsylvania, marking the first occasion since the 1950s that the species has bred in a natural setting in the state.
The Pittsburgh nest sites are especially good for falcon breeding because they are on tall buildings with restricted site access, there are few predators, there is little reflective glass in the area, and because of the goodwill of the local building management. At each site a custom-made nest box was designed out of weather-resistant lumber and red cedar. The bottom of each box is filled with pea-sized gravel. Falcons do not build their own nests, and our Pittsburgh peregrines create a shallow depression in this gravel where they lay their eggs.
Peregrine falcons lay approximately 3-6 eggs in March. These eggs are incubated mostly by the female, with the male providing food during this period. Young peregrines fledge about 6 weeks after hatching and within a few weeks are no longer found with their parents. Peregrines feed almost exclusively on small to medium-sized birds, usually caught in mid-air. Diet of these remarkable birds is often determined by local prey availability.
The first regional peregrine falcon nest box was installed on the Gulf Tower in 1991, through a partnership established by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy and the building management. When young were produced there and at City Hall in Philadelphia in 1991, these sites became the first known building nest site for peregrines in Pennsylvania in the post-DDT era. In 2002, funding provided by the Pennsylvania Game Commission allowed the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy to build and install a second box at the Cathedral of Learning. The boxes were both readily accepted by pairs of wild peregrines and nesting has occurred at each site every year since the boxes were installed. The Pennsylvania Game Commission bands the young birds with coded leg bands, which allows for the identification of individual birds.
Recent Results: Since the nest site at the Gulf Tower was installed in 1991, 55 peregrine falcon chicks have hatched and fledged. The nest box at the Cathedral of Learning has produced 18 peregrine falcon chicks since its installation in 2002. The Peregrine Falcon is listed as a Pennsylvania Endangered species, which makes the excellent productivity at these nest sites instrumental in increasing peregrine population size. Some peregrines hatched in Pittsburgh have gone on to breed at other locations, including Cleveland, Ohio, and Niagara Falls, New York.
Funding & In-Kind Donations: This project is currently funded by the National Aviary. For many previous year it was supported by the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy. All parties appreciate the assistance of the management of the Cathedral of Learning and the Gulf Tower, as well as the support of the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Greater Pennsylvania and Southern West Virginia, Robert Peirce & Associates, PC, Cool Beans Coffee Shop, and the numerous private citizens who have donated their time to assist in this project.
For more information:
- See the US Fish and Wildlife Service details on the conservation status of the peregrine falcon.
- Pennsylvania Game Commission information on peregrine falcons in Pennsylvania: here and here.
- Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection peregrine falcon page.
- Pennsylvania Game Commission satellite telemetry study of Peregrine Falcon dispersal.
