Peregrines have colonized urban environments across Britain, nesting on tall buildings and bridges, creating both welfare opportunities and novel welfare challenges.
Urban peregrine welfare reflects both the opportunities and challenges of rapid adaptation to novel environments. The abundance of prey in urban areas supports good individual welfare through reliable nutrition, while the built environment provides nest sites of equivalent or superior suitability to natural cliff faces. The welfare challenges are primarily associated with chick independence - juvenile birds encountering glass, wire, and artificial lighting as they explore their urban territory. Human monitoring of nest sites, rescue of grounded juvenile birds, and deterrence of persecution all contribute to urban peregrine welfare. The public engagement generated by nest cameras has made peregrines among the most watched and supported wild birds in Britain.