Bryan Naranjo, Watsessing School
Essex County
Peregrine Falcon. Essex County. Bryan Naranjo
Peregrine Falcon
I am a member of peregrine falcons of New Jersey. My family lives in the parks and forests in New Jersey. I am 15 to 21 inches long. My wingspan is 3.5 feet long. My weight is about 2 lbs. I can live from 7 years to 15 years; sometimes other falcons can live up to 20 years. Our population is 1,650 estimating in all of North America. Our mating season is late March to May. We are the fastest bird in the world. We can fly up to 242 MPH. We have colorful feathers that are blue, grey and brown. We eat other bird such as songbirds and ducks. We catch our prey in mid air. Peregrine falcons are favored by falconers and have played that sport for many years. They are endangered because of DDT and DDE.
We need protection because we help clean up the city, because we eat mice, insects and dead animals that smell bad for humans and we help in the prevention of the contamination of the environment. We also need to be protected because we are a huge part in the food chain. Another reason we need to be protected is because peregrine falcons are essential part of the ecosystem. Without them we’d have overpopulation of disliked animals such as mice, insects, and cockroaches. That is why they should protect my kind of species.
What people are doing to protect my animal kind is by a law. The explanation of the law is if you have shot me or my kind you will be sued, sent to court or they will put you in jail. Another way people are protecting my animal kind is by banning DDT. My kind will not be harmed anymore because DDT was banned in most of the world. Scientists have proven that DDT was harmful to peregrine falcons, so the president decided to ban DDT and so did many other countries. They decided that because many of the animals that were harmed by this were important to the life cycle. I wish that never happens to me.
Written By: Bryan Naranjo
Watsessing School, Bloomfield
Teacher: Ms. Salamone