Soaring with Predators

Welcome to Birds of Prey, an exciting look in to the world of the fierce predators that roam the skies and battle against all odds to survive. I am Regan Dowdy and I am pleased to shed light on the fascinating details surrounding the magnificent Northern Aplomado Falcon, or Falco femoralis septentrionalis.

[Image source: http://www.greglasley.net/aplomado.html]

This amazing aerial hunter is a member of the vast Animalia kingdom and Eukarya domain. Known for their striking color, regal posture and graceful flight, these raptorial birds were once common in the coastal and interior grasslands of the Southwest, but are now found only in South Texas and the Trans-Pecos region. This region provides open landscapes with scattered trees, yuccas and shrubs, which are ideal hunting grounds for the falcons.

[Image source: http://www.hcn.org/allimages/2006/nov13/graphics/061113-022.jpg]

The Aplomado Falcons are aggressive predators that hunt in pairs to locate their prey while flying. They utilize their swift speed to give long chases or swoop down to steal food from other predators. If by some chance their prey escapes into dense grasses or shrubs, the falcon will continue the pursuit on foot. Aplomado Falcons are known to primarily feed on other birds, ranging from cuckoos, doves, blackbirds, woodpeckers and thrushes in addition to insects. Other food sources include lizards, frogs, bats and small rodents.

Strangely, after the 1930's, the Aplomado Falcons disappeard from the U.S. for reasons that are still unknown to this day. It wasn't until February 25, 1986 that they were added to the endagered species list due to their grassland habitats being changed by farming, overgrazing by domestic livestock and smoke from prescribed fires. Other factors even list auditory and visual disturbance from machinery and personnel, including high mortalities from power line electrocutions.

Despite all of these factors, the greatest impact to the Aplomado Falcons is due to the use of pesticides, specifically DDT and DDE. These pesticides have been linked to thousands of deaths in several bird species and even though they are banned in the U.S., the heavy concentrations of DDT and DDE continue to remain in the falcons potential prey species. New threats to the Aplomado Falcons consist of heavy loads of PBC's, heavy metals and organochlorine pesticides.

In recent years, there has been several projects to reintroduce the Aplomado Falcon into their historic habitat ranges. This has lead to an increase in their population and gives hope for their survival but the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department states that their recovery will depend on the interest and direct involvement of private land owners, since the falcon's former habitat is now privately owned.

I hope you have enjoyed taking the time to learn about these fascinating animals as much as I have, and I hope that you will return to in the future to learn more.

References

U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Northern Aplomado Falcon. July 2007. http://www.fws.gov/Endangered/pdfs/DoD/aplomado_falcon_fact_sheet.pdf. Downloaded June 9, 2008.

Environmental Defense. Northern Aplomado Falcon. http://www.edf.org/documents/3730_Species_aplomado.pdf. Downloaded on June 9, 2008.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Northern Aplomado Falcon. April, 17, 2007. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/huntwild/wild/species/aplomfal/ Downloaded June 9, 2008.