Peregrine Falcon

"Listen for the call of the wild." Peregrine falcons are the fastest animals on earth, capable of flying over 200 mph, and have the largest natural range of all bird species, occurring everywhere but the Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets, the Amazon Rain Forest, the Tibetan Plateau, and the Sahara, Arabian, and Kalahari deserts. Peregrines have a long legacy of cohabitation with humans, having been used in falconry to aid in hunts for millennia. The pesticide DDT demolished global raptor populations, but Peregrine Falcon populations have rebounded splendidly since DDT was banned in the 1970s. They have adapted exceptionally well to urban environments, nesting on tall buildings and preying on pigeons, ducks, and other urban birds. Peregrines symbolize speed, strength, and the ability of wildlife to rebound when protected from pesticides and pollution.   Artwork by Todd Telander Design # 1627 1627t 1627p 1627v 1627r