The peregrine falcon, once on the brink of extinction across much of North America, is again soaring over cliffs, coastal areas, and even cities. The return of the peregrine falcon to the skies is not due to a single discovery or conservation measure, but the result of years of work by scientists, wildlife organizations, and captive breeding efforts. During the 1970s, after the bird became extinct in many of its native habitats, conservationists released captive-raised falcons into the wild in an effort to reintroduce the species. As reported by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, over 6,000 peregrine falcons were released to the wild through recovery efforts beginning in 1974, restoring the species to 1,650 breeding pairs in the United States and Canada by the late 1990s.
A bird brought back from the brink
