PEREGRINE FALCON FALCO PEREGRINUS IN BRAZIL: NATURAL HISTORY THROUGH THE LENS OF CITIZEN SCIENCE

Authors

  • Louise Mamedio Schneider Butantan Institute
  • Clarissa de Oliveira Santos Butantan Institute
  • Luciano Moreira Lima Butantan Institute
  • Erika Hingst-Zaher Butantan Institute

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58843/ornneo.v34i1.1121

Keywords:

Community science, Ecology, Raptors, Urban fauna, WikiAves

Abstract

Brazil is a relevant wintering area for Falco peregrinus, particularly the subspecies F. p. tundrius and F. p anatum. Using data from WikiAves, we analyzed and discussed aspects of the species natural history, such as their migratory behavior, geographical distribution, diet, and ecological interactions. Peregrine falcons can be seen in the country from October until April. Our data suggests that adults can arrive up to a month earlier than juveniles. Individuals have been recorded in all 26 states and there is no significant difference in the geographical distribution due their subspecies or age, but there is an apparent lack of records on Central region of the country. Our results shows that in Brazil peregrines prey mainly on Columbiformes and Charadriiformes. Some individuals share the same perch and engage on agonistic interactions with other bird species, usually mopping or kleptoparasitism.

Author Biographies

Louise Mamedio Schneider, Butantan Institute

B.Sc. from University of São Paulo, has experience with science communication and collaborative science/citizen science. Interested in animal behavior, conservation and natural history. Currently, is part of the development team to produce and present a digital exhibit at Instituto Butantan.

Clarissa de Oliveira Santos, Butantan Institute

M.Sc. in Ecology from University of São Carlos, is an ornithologist with experience in community ecology, bird sampling techniques and environmental education. Interested in population studies and decline of bird population, and especially in the Purple martin, Progne subis.

Luciano Moreira Lima, Butantan Institute

M.Sc. in Zoology from University of São Paulo, ornithologist interested in bird conservation and monitoring. Conducts projects on citizen science and science communication.

Erika Hingst-Zaher, Butantan Institute

Ph.D. in Zoology from University of São Paulo. Researcher at Instituto Butantan, conducts research on conservation, faunistic inventories and monitoring, as well as the interfaces with public health. 

References

Albuquerque, JLB (1978) Contribuição ao conhecimento do Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 na América do Sul (Falconidae, Aves). Revista Brasileira de Biologia 38: 727–737.

Albuquerque, JLB (1985) Notes on distribution of some brazilian raptors. Bulletin of the british ornithologists' club 105: 82–84.

ArcGIS Version 10.0 (2010). Redlands, CA: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.

Boal, CW & CR Dykstra (2018) Urban Raptors: Ecology and Conservation of Birds of Prey in Cities. Island Press, Washington, DC, United States. https://doi.org/10.1080/03623319.2021.2014217

Brown, JW, PJV de Groot, TP Birt, G Seutin, PT Boag & VL Friesen (2007) Appraisal of the consequences of the DDT-induced bottleneck in the level and geographic distribution of neutral genetic variation in Canadian peregrine falcons, Falco peregrinus. Molecular Ecology 16: 327–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03151.x

DeCandido, R & D Allen (2006) Nocturnal Hunting by Peregrine Falcons at the Empire State Building. The Wilson Journal of Ornithology 118: 53–58. https://doi.org/10.1676/1559-4491(2006)118[0053:NHBPFA]2.0.CO;2

de Souza, E, Lima-Santos, J, Entiauspe-Neto, OM, dos Santos, MM, de Moura, PR, & Hingst-Zaher, E (2022). Ophiophagy in Brazilian birds: a contribution from a collaborative platform of citizen science. Ornithology Research 30: 15–24. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-022-00082-5

Dickinson, JL, B Zuckerberg & DN Bonter (2010) Citizen science as an ecological research tool: challenges and benefits. Annual review of ecology, evolution and systematics 41: 149–172. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-102209-144636

Drewitt, EJA & N Dixon (2008) Diet and prey selection of urban-dwelling Peregrine Falcons in southwest England. Brittish Birds 101: 58–67.

Ferguson-Lees, J & DA Christie (2001) Raptors of the world. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Boston, United States.

Fyfe, RW, SA Temple & T Cade (1976) The 1975 North American peregrine falcon survey. Canadian Field-Naturalist 90: 228–273.

Gahbauer, MA (2009) Breeding, dispersal and migration of urban peregrine falcons in eastern North America. Ph.D. thesis, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.

Greenwood, JJD (2007) Citizens, science and bird conservation. Journal of Ornithology 148: 77–124. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-007-0239-9

Haklay, M, Dörler D, Heigl F, Manzoni M, Hecker S & K Vohland (2021) What is Citizen Science? The Challenges of Definition. Pp 13–33 in Vohland, K, A Land-Zandstra, L Ceccaroni, R Lemmens, J Perelló, M Ponti, et al. (eds). The Science of Citizen Science. Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland.

Hickey, JJ (1969) Peregrine falcon populations: their biology and decline. University of Wisconsin Press. Wisconsin, United States.

Holroyd, GL & DM Bird (2012) Lessons learned during the recovery of the peregrine falcon in Canada. Canadian Wildlife Biology & Management 1: 3–20.

IBGE (2021) Estimativas da população residente no Brasil e unidades da Federação com data de referência em 1º de julho de 2021. Available from https://ftp.ibge.gov.br/Estimativas_de_Populacao/Estimativas_2021/POP2021_20221212.pdf [Acessed 19 February 2023]

Kéry, M (2007) Wintering peregrine falcons (Falco peregrinus) in the Peruvian Amazon. Ornitología Neotropical 18: 613–616.

Lopes, LE & F Schunck (2022) Unravelling the migratory patterns of the rufous-tailed attila within the Neotropics using citizen science and traditional data sources. Ornithology Research 30: 87–98. https://doi.org/10.1007/s43388-022-00087-0

Luniak, M, (1995) Peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus in cities - the background for its planned reintroduction in Warsaw. Acta ornithologica 30: 53–62.

Mestre, LAM (2007) Recuperações no Brasil de falcões-peregrinos (Falco peregrinus) anilhados na América do Norte entre 1967 e 2001. Ornithologia 2: 72–80.

Mueller, HC, NS Mueller, DD Berger, G Allez, W Robichaud, JL Kaspar (2000) Age and sex differences in the timing of fall migration of hawks and falcons. The Wilson Bulletin 112: 214–224. https://doi.org/10.1676/0043-5643(2000)112[0214:aasdit]2.0.co;2

Newton, I (1979) Population ecology of raptors. Buteo Books, Berkham-sted, United Kingdom.

Pereira, GA, G Coelho, SM Dantas, SA Roda, GB Farias, MC Periquito, MT Brito & GL Pacheco (2006) Ocorrências e hábitos alimentares do falcão-peregrino Falco peregrinus no Estado de Pernambuco, Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Ornitologia 14: 435–439.

Ratcliff, D (1980) The Peregrine Falcon. T & A D Poyser, London,United Kingdom.

Ratcliffe, DA (1969) Population trends of the peregrine falcon in Great Britain. Pp. 239–270 in Hickey, JJ (ed.). Peregrine falcon populations: their biology and decline. University of Wisconsin Press, Wisconsin, United States.

R Core Team (2022). R: A language and environment for statistical computing. R Foundation for Statistical Computing, Vienna, Austria. Available at https://www.R-project.org/.

Sergio, F, F Rizzolli, L Marchesi & P Pedrini (2004) The importance of interspecific interactions for breeding-site selection: peregrine falcons seek proximity to raven nests. Ecography 27: 818–826. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0906-7590.2004.04030.x

Sick, H (1997) Ornitologia brasileira. Nova Fronteira, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Sick, H (1960) Notas sôbre Falco peregrinus anatum Bonaparte no Brasil (Falconidae, Aves). Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro.

Silva e Silva, R (1996) Records and geographical distribution of the peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus Tunstall, 1771 (Aves, Falconidae) in Brazil. Papéis avulsos de biologia 29: 249–270.

Silva e Silva, R (1997) Ecology and behavior of wintering Falco peregrinus (Falconiformes: Falconidae) in southeastern Brazil. Ararajuba 5: 203–208.

Sullivan, BL, CL Wood, MJ Iliff, RE Booney, D Fink & S Kelling (2009) eBird: A citizen-based bird observation network in the biological sciences. Biological Conservation Volume 142: 2282–2292. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2009.05.006

Talbot, SL, GK Sage, SA Sonsthagen, MC Gravley, T Swen, JC Williams, JL Longmire, et al. (2017) Intraspecif evolutionary relationships among peregrine falcons in western North American high latitudes. PLoS ONE 12: e0188185. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0188185

Wei, JW, BPY-H Lee, & LB Wen (2016) Citizen Science and the Urban Ecology of Birds and Butterflies - A Systematic Review. PLoS ONE 11: e0156425. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0156425

White, CM, NJ Clum, TJ Cade & WG Hunt (2020) Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) version 1.0. [Online] Available at https://doi.org/10.2173/bow.perfal.01 [Acessed 24 June 2021]

Wickham H, M Averick, J Bryan, W Chang, LD McGowan, R François, G Grolemund, et al. (2019) Welcome to the tidyverse. Journal of Open Source Software 4: 1686. https://doi.org/10.21105/joss.01686

WikiAves (2021) WikiAves, a Enciclopédia das Aves do Brasil. Available at http://www.wikiaves.com.br/ [Acessed 16 January 2021]

Winkler, DW, SM Billerman, & IJ Lovette (2020) New World and African Parrots (Psittacidae). in Billerman, SM, BK Keeney, PG Rodewald, & TS Schulenberg (eds). Birds of the World. Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, NY, United States.

Downloads

Additional Files

Published

07-04-2023

Issue

Section

Articles