Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center
Breeding Range. (Fig. 48). It would appear that breeding populations of the Peregrine Falcon have been completely extirpated from North Dakota. No breeding records have been reported since 1954.
During the 1800's and early 1900's a few scattered pairs were of regular occurrence, chiefly on the Little Missouri Slope. Definite records of nests or dependent young have been reported from Fort Union in Williams County in 1843 (Audubon 1897), in Stark County in 1901 (Reed 1904), from the Killdeer Mountains in Dunn County in 1913 (Gabrielson and Jewett 1924), and from Bullion Butte in Billings County in 1916 (V. Bailey) and 1954 (E. A. Hibbard). Records of adults during the breeding season have also been reported in Morton County in 1873 (Allen 1874), in Towner County in 1895 (Bishop 1935), in Golden Valley County in 1913 (Gabrielson and Jewett 1924), and in Bottineau County in 1938 (A. C. Fox).
During the period 1897-1904, a total of 23 complete sets of eggs were reported to have been taken somewhere in western North Dakota by a group of professional egg collectors. This group included Boyden, Edward, Leonard, and Roy Dodd, all of whom resided at Bowman, North Dakota. At least one of these sets was collected in Stark County (Reed 1904), and two sets apparently were collected in Slope County. Nest sites for the latter two sets were described as located on steep sides of white clay buttes. Two buttes of this peculiar type, called Chalky Butte and White Butte are about 1 mile apart, and are located in Slope County about 14 miles north-northeast of Bowman. All egg sets collected by the Dodds are currently stored in various museums throughout the United States (data compiled by D. W. Anderson).
Breeding Habitat. When searching for food, Peregrine Falcons ranged out widely from their nesting aeries. During these forays, many habitats were covered including expanses of native prairie, badland complexes, and open waterways.
Nesting. Apparent breeding season: Late April to mid-August; probable peak, early May to late July. Extreme egg dates (23 nests): May 1 in 1900 (L. Dodd) to May 29 in 1897 (R. Dodd). On June 28 [1913], a nest containing three young and one addled egg was located in the Killdeer Mountains of Dunn County; one young flew from the nest (Gabrielson and Jewett 1924). On August 2 [1843], an adult was observed feeding its young near Fort Union (Audubon 1897). On August 10-11 [1954], a pair with two flying young was recorded on Bullion Butte in Billings County (E. A. Hibbard).
Twenty-four nests were found on ledges or in crevices of steep sides of buttes. These include one set of eggs that had been laid in an old Ferruginous Hawk nest (E. Dodd). In addition, one set of eggs was taken from a hole in a steep cutbank (E. Dodd).
Indicated clutch size (23 nests): 3 to 4 eggs; mean, 3.6 eggs.
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| Figure 48. Breeding Range of Peregrine Falcon. |
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey
URL: http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/birds/bbofnd/species/3560.htm
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