Helping the Northern Aplomado Falcon

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Mr. Maddox,

As you requested, I have gathered information in regards to the selective breeding of the Northern Aplomado Falcon, or Falco femoralis septentrionalis. Due to the lack of information about this species, it was difficult to obtain the in-depth information in order to create the best possible solution. However, I am submitting the following details based on the information I was able to obtain.

Species classification:

• Kingdom - Animalia
• Phylum - Craniata
• Class - Aves
• Order - Falconiformes
• Family - Falconidae
• Genus - Falco
• Species - F. femoralis septentrionalis

The Northern Aplomado Falcon can be found in South Texas and the Trans-Pecos region where the environment can range from open-rangelands, semiarid grasslands with scattered shrubs and trees, desert grasslands with scattered yucca and mesquite or the woodlands along desert streams. Three examples of their adaptations are:

1. They are extremely skilled hunters due to several factors including their incredible speed either in the air or on the ground and by hunting in pairs. They are able to catch their prey in the air or chase them down on foot if their prey is attempting to hide in nearby shrubs. They also have a reputation for being aggressive fighters and will start fights amongst themselves for fun.
   
2. Instead of building their own nest, they will use abandoned stick nests from other bird species. In fact, due to problems with other animals invading their nest, some falcons have been seen living in abandoned raven nests atop electrical towers.
   
3. There is a possibility they are monogamous, however it is shown that both parents will share the responsibility of tending to their eggs for the 32 day incubation period. A normal clutch size will usually have 2-3 eggs, but there have been complications due to the use of the pesticide, DDT.
   

I have decided that our target for selective breeding should be based on their clutch size. The use of DDT in the past continues to cause thinning of the egg shells and leads to reproductive failure. Breeding the Aplomado Falcon in captivity is a difficult and labor intensive task, however, if we attempted to breed them in the absence of any pesticide factors, it could increase the clutch survival and ultimately the species as a whole.

The falcon's habitat is small but due to the specific region, we are able to understand the conditions that must be mimicked in order for the hatchlings success. For instance, what is the normal nesting time frame and what are the climate conditions for that time? What are the requirements for the incubation period? Should we artificially inseminate the females? What needs to be applied in order for the hatchlings to eventually be released into the wild? Should they be raised in a lab or in a secluded area, such as a zoo? If we are able to answer these questions, we could raise several generations of hatchlings in order to strengthen their reproductive rates before releasing them into the wild.

While contemplating the specifics of this experiment, I realized that we may be enhancing other traits that could lead to a new, enhanced species over the years. To this day, it is not known what caused the Northern Apolomado Falcon to disappear in the 1950's and this has lead to the lack of information about the species. This experiment could allow researchers to start from the beginning and gather information to be incorporated in the wild. If our birds were able to develop new traits in order to increase reproduction and survival and continue to breed with only that select group, that trait would continue to be passed down over the generations and would ultimately increase their survival fitness as a species.

The main benefit to this experiment is the preservation of an endangered species, however there are also external factors that continue to occur, including hunting. These falcons are hunted and eventually stuffed for home decoration or their feathers and talons are used for commercial use. In the end, I really wonder if hunting them for decoration or just sport is really worth losing them in the end. Once they are gone, they cannot come back and I believe we should pursue the opportunity of giving them a chance to survive.


Regan Dowdy


References:

Fort Worth Zoo
http://whozoo.org/Intro2001/andreppl/ASE_aplomadofalcon.html

NatureServe Explorer
http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/NatureServe?sourceTemplate=tabular_report.wmt&loadTemplate=species_RptComprehensive.wmt&selectedReport=RptComprehensive.wmt&summaryView=tabular_report.wmt&elKey=106068&paging=home&save=true&startIndex=1&nextStartIndex=1&reset=false&offPageSelectedElKey=106068&offPageSelectedElType=species&offPageYesNo=true&post_processes=&radiobutton=radiobutton&selectedIndexes=106068

US Forest Service
http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/wui/ba/17.html