The Danish Peregrine Falcon population:Reestablishment and eggshell thinning

Denmark being a country with only a few suitable steep nesting cliffs has only harboured a small population of Peregrine Falcons in historic time. In the previous century the population gradually declined due to persecution, egg and young collection, and pollution. The last breeding attempt in the 2...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Ornis Hungarica
Main Authors: Andreasen, Niels Peter, Falk, Knud, Møller, Søren
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: 2019
Subjects:
Online Access:https://forskning.ruc.dk/da/publications/eaaf3754-5d92-4908-a7a3-ecc39a4746ac
https://doi.org/10.1515/orhu-2018-0024
https://hdl.handle.net/1800/eaaf3754-5d92-4908-a7a3-ecc39a4746ac
https://rucforsk.ruc.dk/ws/files/64487010/The_Danish_Peregrine_Falcon_population_Reestablishment_and_eggshell_thinning.pdf
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Summary:Denmark being a country with only a few suitable steep nesting cliffs has only harboured a small population of Peregrine Falcons in historic time. In the previous century the population gradually declined due to persecution, egg and young collection, and pollution. The last breeding attempt in the 20’th century occurred in 1972 in southeastern Denmark. No new breeding attempts were recorded in Denmark until 2001 but since then the population has gradually increased – most rapidly since 2012 - to a peak of 19 territorial pairs in 2016; some of them breeding on man-made structures (nest boxes at bridges and power plants). Here we update the information on the reestablishment of the Peregrine Falcon in Denmark, including origin and dispersal, reproduction, and eggshell thinning. Denmark being a country with only a few suitable steep nesting cliffs has only harboured a small population of Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus) in historic time. In the previous century, the population gradually declined due to persecution, egg and young collection, and pollution. The last breeding attempt in the 20th century occurred in 1972 in southeastern Denmark. No new breeding attempts were recorded in Denmark until 2001 but since then the population has gradually increased – most rapidly since 2012 – to a peak of 19 territorial pairs in 2016; some of them breeding on man-made structures (nest boxes at bridges and power plants). Here we update the information on the reestablishment of the Peregrine Falcon in Denmark, including origin and dispersal, reproduction, and eggshell thinning.