What is “hacking” and what role did it play in the recovery of the peregrine falcon?
Hacking is the controlled release of young captive-bred peregrine falcons from artificial nests, usually plywood boxes secured to cliff ledges or tall buildings. It was developed centuries ago by falconers as a means of building flight skills and strength prior to actual training. An estimated 6,000 peregrine falcons have been released to the wild since the first two peregrine 5 falcons were hacked out in 1974. These hacked peregrine falcons have augmented extant wild populations and helped repopulate areas where peregrine falcons were extirpated in the wild. The majority of releases occurred in the late 1970’s, 1980’s, and the early 1990’s. Few people are currently hacking captive-bred peregrine falcons. The last major releases took place in 1997, when 47 birds were hacked.
Related Questions
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- What is "hacking" and what role did it play in the recovery of the peregrine falcon?
