Peregrine falcons recovered dramatically after DDT was banned. They now breed in cities across Europe and North America, raising welfare and conservation questions for urban populations.
The peregrine recovery story is a landmark of conservation success driven by regulatory action on pesticides. Individual peregrine welfare is threatened by illegal persecution — poisoning, egg theft, and nest destruction — that continues despite full legal protection. Urban peregrines face specific welfare challenges including ingestion of lead shot in prey, glass collisions in newly fledged juveniles, and entanglement in netting. Successful nesting in urban environments benefits conservation goals but requires active management of nest sites to prevent disturbance during critical breeding periods. Monitoring programmes that maintain welfare without preventing natural behaviour are models for urban wildlife management.