Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe peregrine falcon is coming off Indiana's endangered species list following a successful two-decade effort to reintroduce the bird to the state.
The raptor will be removed Sunday from Indiana's list. The falcon's delisting comes after summer surveys found that it's thriving at two dozen Indiana locations.
But Department of Natural Resources nongame biologist John Castrale says the peregrine falcon remains a species of special concern and will have the same protections enjoyed by other migratory birds under state and federal laws.
Indiana's peregrine falcon reintroduction program began in 1991 and included releasing the birds in urban areas where tall buildings mimic the falcon's natural cliff-side habitat. In Indianapolis, the birds nest on downtown towers and are credited with minimizing problems with pigeons.
The birds were so decimated by habitat loss and pesticide use that by 1965 no peregrine falcons nested east of the Mississippi River.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.