Welcome to the KID'S PAGES! Click the icons below to check out fun games and experiments, or read on to find out about an amazing raptor, the Peregrine Falcon!   The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) is the world's fastest flying bird.  In a 'stoop', it can reach speeds of over 200 mph (the maximum speed on most highways is 75 mph)!  A 'stoop' is where the bird pulls its wings very close to the body and dives towards its prey.  This reduces air friction and allows the bird to fly very fast.  Peregrine Falcons are specialists.  They specialize in capturing other birds!  They find their prey while soaring or perched on a tall structure or cliff.  Then the Peregrine Falcon stoops towards the bird and punches it right out of the sky!  This punch stuns or kills the bird.  The falcon either catches it in the air, or picks it up from the ground after it has fallen.  In the 1970's, Peregrine Falcon populations were dangerously low because of a chemical called DDT.  DDT is a pesticide (poison) that farmers used to prevent insects from destroying their crops.  They did not know it at the time, but DDT was indirectly killing many birds, as well as limiting their ability to make young (productivity).  Small birds ate insects that fed on plants sprayed with DDT.  Then larger birds, like the Peregrine Falcon, ate these birds.  When the falcons ate the animals contaminated with DDT, the concentration (amount) of DDT inside the falcon increased.  DDT caused eggshell thinning in peregrines.  This made the eggs more likely to break before the baby bird hatched.  Because there were so few peregrines hatching, the population decreased when the adult birds died.  In 1975, there were only 39 known breeding pairs in the continental United States. But there is hope!  DDT is now banned in the United States.  This ban, along with captive breeding and release programs, means that Peregrine Falcons are once again soaring in the skies!  The Peregrine Fund released over 4000 captive-bred peregrines in 28 states over a 25-year period.  Currently in North America, there are approximately 1500 breeding pairs of Peregrine Falcons.  For more information about the Peregrine Fund visit: http://www.peregrinefund.org   New!  Check out a live peregrine web cam In 1994 Dennis Money, founder of the Rochester Peregrine Falcon Project, asked Kodak for permission to place a nest box on top of the Kodak Office Tower, Rochester, New York. Kodak eagerly agreed, and in 1995 the nest box was placed in a location that was described as a perfect nesting place that simulates their natural cliff habitat. 1998 – The first Peregrine Falcons, Mariah (female) and Cabot-Sirocco (male), use the nest and continue to successfully nest through 2001. 2002 – Kaver replaces Cabot-Sirocco as Mariah's mate and they successfully raise 2 hatchlings. 2003 – Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs; all hatch successfully. 2004 – Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs; all hatch successfully. Hafoc, one of the juvenile peregrines, was fitted with a satellite transmitter. Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest: 26 2005 – Once again, Kaver and Mariah lay 5 eggs and all hatch successfully. Skye, one of the juvenile peregrines, was fitted with a satellite transmitter. Total offspring from the Kodak Office Tower nest so far is 31 View them live at: Kodak Web Cam Meet Hawks Aloft's Peregrine Falcon! This female Peregrine Falcon was a member of the breeding program at the Peregrine Fund.  She produced fifty Peregrine Falcon chicks that were eventually released into the wild.  Because of the success of the Peregrine Fund and the elimination of DDT in the United States, peregrine populations recovered, and the species was removed from the Endangered Species list.  Therefore, this falcon was no longer needed to lay eggs.  Because of her age; however, she is unable to be released in the wild.  Hawks Aloft uses her as an educational bird to teach people about the majesty of the fastest flying bird in the world, as well as the potential dangers of pesticides.