Falco peregrinus
Falco peregrinus
The peregrine falcon is distributed across all continents except Antarctica (BirdLife International, 2024). It occurs throughout Europe, being less common in the east (Keller et al., 2020). In Spain it occupies all regions, although in the Canary Islands it is replaced by the Tagarote falcon Falco pelegrinoides (Del Moral & Molina, 2009; Del Moral in SEO/BirdLife, 2022).
In Madrid it has a wide distribution throughout the territory (Díaz et al., 1994), but in recent decades it has tended to disappear from the southern half due to competition with the golden eagle (SEO/BirdLife, 2000; Del Moral & Molina, 2009).
Within the national park, it is not abundant and its territories have not been consistently maintained. Nevertheless, breeding is frequent on traditional cliffs used by the species within the protected area. Between four and six territories are identified (depending on the season) on rocky cliffs, sometimes of very small size (Del Moral & Molina, 2009).
It appears more common in mountainous and coastal areas, where rocky cliffs—its usual breeding sites—are abundant. The nesting substrate is almost exclusively rocky cliffs, although there are exceptions, such as nesting on buildings in urban areas and on power lines. Various artificial structures are also occasionally used, including large aqueduct pillars, watchtowers, and quarries. Its hunting habitats depend mainly on prey abundance rather than the habitat itself, as it hunts on the wing (Heredia et al., 1998; Gainzarain et al., 2002).
Within the national park, it breeds on rocky cliffs, sometimes at high altitudes, with nests recorded up to 1,800 m above sea level. During hunting flights it is common in open areas and always outside forested zones.
At a global scale it is considered a Least Concern species (LC; 2021). In Europe it would also be classified in the same category (LC; 2021); in Spain it is listed as Near Threatened (NT).
The Catalogue of Threatened Species of the Community of Madrid (1992) lists it under the Vulnerable category.
BirdLife International 2024. IUCN Red List for birds. https://datazone.birdlife.org.
Del Moral, J. C. y Molina, B. (eds.). 2009. El halcón peregrino en España. Población reproductora en 2008 y método de censo. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Díaz, M., Martí, R., Gómez-Manzaneque, Á. y Sánchez, A. 1994. Atlas de las aves nidificantes en Madrid. Agencia de Medio Ambiente y SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.
Gainzarain, J. A., Arambarri, R. y Rodríguez, A. F. 2002. Population size and factors affecting the density of the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) in Spain. Ardeola, 49: 67-74.
Heredia, B., Hiraldo, F., González, L. M. y González, J. L. 1988. Status, ecology and conservation of the Peregrine Falcon in Spain. En Cade, T. J., Enderson, J. H., Thelander, C. G. y White, C. M. (eds.): Peregrine Falcon Population: Their Management and Recovery. The Peregrine Fund. Boise.
Keller, V., Herrando, S., Voříšek, P., Franch, M., Kipson, M., Milanesi, P., Martí, D., Antón, M., Klvaňová, A., Kalyakin, M. V. Bauer, H. Gr y Foppen, R. P. B. 2020. European Breeding Bird Atlas 2: Distribution, Abundance and Change. European Birds Census Council y Lynx Edicions. Barcelona.
SEO/BirdLife 2000. Seguimiento y control de la población de halcón común en la Comunidad de Madrid. Informe inédito para la Comunidad de Madrid. Madrid.
SEO/BirdLife (Molina, B., Nebreda, A., Muñoz, A. R., Seoane, J., Real, R., Bustamante, J. y Del Moral, J. C., eds.) 2022. III Atlas de las aves en época de reproducción en España. SEO/BirdLife. Madrid.