ZOO CREATION AND SITE SELECTION

Raptor FAQQ: What is the difference between "raptors" and "birds of prey."A: Both terms may be used inter-changeably for hawks, owls, eagles and falcons.Q: What raptors are extinct or on the Endangered Species List?A: In North America the bald eagle and peregrine falcon were placed on the EndangeredSpecies list but both are being considered for removal. The peregrine falcon populationfound east of the Mississippi River is considered to have gone extinct and has since beenre-established with breeding stock including a variety of sub-species of the peregrinefalcon.Q: Why has the peregrine falcon made such a comeback?A: The most important reason is the ban on most uses of DDT. Protection from shootingunder the Endangered Species Act was important along with education about birds ofprey and captive breeding that provided young birds to accelerate the populationrecovery.Q: How much food does a peregrine falcon eat in a day?A: A peregrine eats the equivalent of one quail-sized bird per day. We have documentedthe remains of more than 200 different species of prey in peregrine falcon nests. On agiven day peregrine falcon might eat most of a pigeon, or part of a duck or two or moresparrow sized birds to meet its nutritional needs.Q: Which species are the most successful hunters?A: All raptor species are pretty much equally successful. In fact, you could say that eachraptor species does what it does better than any other bird on the continent.Q: How do you go about repairing thin eggshells?A: We cannot repair thin-shelled eggs. The biggest problem with thin-shelled eggsbeyond being extremely fragile, is their tendency to lose moisture too fast duringincubation. We found that we could incubate them in a very "wet" incubator to preventthe embryo from drying out and dying. Sometimes we coated a portion of the eggshellwith wax to help it retain moisture.Q: What other animals live in the peregrine falcon's habitat?A: The peregrine falcon lives primarily in the vertical environment of the sky and restsupon high places on the landscape that overlook vast gulfs of air including cliff ledges,skyscrapers, and bridges. Since they spend most of their time in the sky above all thecontinents of the world except Antarctica, they are likely to encounter an extremely widerange of bird species, as well as a few mammalian and reptilian species that make theirhomes among the rugged cliff faces of the world.20