Peregrine Falcons

Peregrine falcons are supreme hunters of the skies. Powerful and charismatic, they are renowned for their dramatic ability to intercept their prey in mid-air, attacking in a near vertical plunge which can reach up to 200 mph. Peregrines live in nearly every part of the world and their name means wanderer. Despite a long and close relationship with man, persecution and the onslaught of pesticides in the 1950s brought them close to extinction. However, legal protection and the banning of pesticides has led to a steady increase in their populations in many areas. Once again these noble birds have begun to command our skies, a triumph for a superb predator and a remarkable demonstration of nature's stubborn resistance to persecution and pollution