DFG News Release

DFG Seeking Public Comment Regarding Delisting of the American Peregrine Falcon

The California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is seeking public comment on a proposal to remove the American peregrine falcon from the California endangered species list.

DFG is seeking scientific data or comments about the American peregrine falcon in California in the following areas: taxonomic status, ecology, biology, life history, management recommendations, distribution, abundance, threats and habitat that may be essential for the species, or other factors related to the status of the species.

All comments or other information should be submitted in writing by July 15, 2008 to the following addresses:

Wildlife Branch - Nongame Wildlife Program
California Department of Fish and Game
Attn: Lyann Comrack
1812 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95811

Responses received by the due date will be evaluated and the results included in DFG’s final report to the Fish and Game Commission (FGC). In the report, DFG will recommend that the FGC either delist, downlist to threatened status or maintain the current level of protection for the American peregrine falcon. The FGC allows an opportunity for public comment prior to making a decision.

The American peregrine falcon was listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act in 1971 due to a dramatic population decline linked to environmental contamination. The pesticide DDT and other dangerous pesticides, called organochlorine pesticides, were correlated with egg shell thinning, breakage, hatching failure, and other abnormal factors in the species thus resulting in greatly reduced populations nationwide. At the time of listing, only five breeding pairs of American peregrine falcons were documented as nesting in California. Following the ban on these pesticides in the United States, the American peregrine falcon made a comeback, assisted by an active captive breeding campaign led by Santa Cruz Predatory Bird Research Group, the Peregrine Fund and state and federal government.

DFG’s assessment will document current breeding population size and range and will evaluate the nature of current threats to this species and the effectiveness of present monitoring programs in place.