The Peregrine Fund's World Center for Birds of Prey

The center’s research facilities are designed to enhance the health, reproduction, and reintroduction efforts of endangered species and to collect information about the general biology of raptors. The science is focused on understanding how diet, aging, and environment affect the health, growth, reproduction and lifespan of the birds. The organization’s propagation program played a critical role in the successful recovery of the Peregrine Falcon, which was removed from the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1999. The organization currently breeds endangered California Condors and Aplomado Falcons at the World Center for Birds of Prey. The condors are released to the wild in northern Arizona; Aplomado Falcon chicks are released to the wild in Texas and New Mexico. Captive birds in the breeding facility are monitored by video, which allows the collection of detailed behavioral information. Studies on disease, contaminants, nutrition, and genetics help biologists evaluate problems facing birds in the wild.