The prairie falcon

This is the first book for a wide audience devoted exclusively to the Prairie Falcon. Stanley Anderson and John Squires cover all aspects of the falcon's life history from mating and the rearing of young to hunting behaviors and the yearly migration cycle. They provide complete descriptive characteristics for identifying Prairie Falcons on the wing and also compare them to other raptors, especially the closely related Peregrine Falcon.

In addition, the authors recount the long association of falcons with people, which may extend back as far as 2000 B.C. They describe the practice of falconry from the Middle Ages until today. (Currently, there are some 10,000 to 20,000 falconers around the world.) And the authors assess the threats to Prairie Falcons posed by human activities, from pesticide use and destruction of habitat to the unintentional (but sometimes fatal) disruption of the breeding cycle by careless birdwatchers.

Beautifully illustrated with color photographs, this book will be an essential reference for everyone fascinated by birds of prey, from avocational birders to professional ornithologists.