U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Northern Aplomado Falcon (Falco femoralis septentrionalis)

Aplomado falcons (Falco femoralis) In the U.S., they were found along inhabit desert grasslands and savannas of yucca-covered sand ridges in coastal Latin America, and formerly inhabited prairies, riparian woodlands in open desert grasslands and coastal prairies of grasslands, and in desert grasslands with Texas, New Mexico, and southeastern scattered mesquite and yucca. Arizona. The falcon ranges through most of South America, from Tierra del Fuego The causes for decline of this subspecies to Ecuador and Venezuela, and from have included widespread shrub near sea level to above 13,000 feet in the encroachment resulting from control of Andes, and is also found throughout range fires, intense overgrazing, and Mesoamerica. The original description agricultural development in grassland of the northern Aplomado falcon (F. f. habitats used by the falcon. By the septentrionalis) was based on specimens 1870s, the railroad had connected the northern Aplomado falcon collected in 1887 at Fort Huachuca, AZ. grasslands of southern New Mexico with Photo: Chris Eberly, DoD PIF the markets of the East, altering the NM economics of cattle production. AZ TX Intensive cattle grazing caused massive Adults have a steel-gray dorsal plumage erosion. Woody plants such as creosote (“aplomado” is Spanish for “gray” or bush and mesquite invaded the open “lead colored”), with a dark belly band White grasslands. or “cummerbund” separating a white to Sands buffy upper breast and a cinnamon to Missile Range Pesticide exposure was likely a rufous belly. Distinguishing adult field McGregor Range significant cause of the subspecies’ marks include bold face markings with a Fort Bliss extirpation from the U.S.; the initiation white streak over the eye and a long, of widespread DDT use after World War narrow banded tail. The long wings and II coincided with the falcon’s white trailing edge are easily disappearance. Collection of falcons and distinguished while the Aplomado falcon eggs may have also been detrimental to is in flight. Adult females often retain the subspecies in some localities. dark streaks on the breast. Juveniles are similar to adults, except for browner Biology upper parts and dark streaking on a buff- Aplomado falcons are a medium-sized colored breast. Historic range of Aplomado Falcon in NM and falcon, approximately 14 to 18 inches in west TX (NatureServe, 2003) and Department of length with a wingspan of 31 to 40 Mated falcon pairs remain together year- Defense lands. Map: Chris Eberly, DoD PIF inches. Sexes are similar in appearance, round and hunt cooperatively. Nesting but females tend to be larger than males. typically occurs in birds greater than one Once considered common in its range year old. Aplomados do not build their within the U.S., populations declined own nests, but take over old or even rapidly after the 1930s. By the late freshly constructed nests of other raptors 1950s, the northern Aplomado falcon or corvids such as red-tailed hawk, was considered extirpated in the U.S. Swainson’s hawk, and Chihuahuan and was designated an endangered raven. Nesting occurs from March to species in 1986. June. The average clutch size is 2.6 to 2.8 eggs and brood size from 1.6 to 2.4. Falcon habitat consists of open terrain Fledgling success in Mexico was shown with scattered trees or shrubs. In to be 0.53 to 0.94. Incubation lasts 31 to Mexico, they inhabit palm and oak 33 days, and both sexes participate in savannas, open tropical deciduous incubation. Young birds leave the nest woodlands, seasonally flooded coastal about 4 to 5 weeks after hatching. savannas and marshlands, desert Falcon habitat, White Sands Missile Range in grasslands, and upland pine parklands. background. Photo: Chris Eberly, DoD PIF Legal Status and Recovery The Military’s Role in Recovery The northern Aplomado falcon is The military has been a staunch supporter designated as endangered in Arizona, of the NEP designation for the Aplomado New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, and falcon because it enables the military to Guatemala. On July 26, 2006, a final rule support conservation efforts without on the establishment of a nonessential compromising the military mission. The experimental population (NEP) in U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Arizona and New Mexico under section The Peregrine Fund, Turner Endangered 10(j) of the Endangered Species Act was Species Fund, the state of New Mexico, published in the Federal Register. This Bureau of Land Management (BLM), designation authorizes unintentional or Department of Defense, and other incidental take of the falcon pursuant to Aplomado falcon hack tower. cooperators will jointly manage the otherwise legal actions, but still prohibits Photo: Chris Eberly, DoD PIF reintroduction effort. The goal of the intentional take. reintroduction effort is to reestablish a populations in the U.S. The intense self sustaining population in suitable The objective of the 1990 Aplomado overgrazing that resulted in shrub habitat of the Chihuahuan Desert Falcon Recovery Plan is to ensure that encroachment in Chihuahuan Desert grasslands in the U.S. with the ultimate the falcon is no longer threatened by grasslands in New Mexico and Arizona goal of removing the species from the habitat loss, pesticide contamination, or has moderated, and there has been endangered species list. Falcons are human persecution. Criterion to widespread implementation of improved predicted to persist as a self-sustaining reclassify the falcon from endangered to range management techniques. In population or as subpopulations in the threatened status was tentatively addition, the use of DDT was banned in largest, unfragmented portions of their identified as a minimum self-sustaining Mexico in 2000. historic range. population of 60 pairs in the U.S. Reintroduction Reintroductions began in July 2007 on Currently, long-term drought, shrub More than 1,142 captive-bred falcons lands managed by BLM, the state of New encroachment in areas of Chihuahuan have been released in Texas. The Mexico, and White Sands Missile Range Desert grasslands, and the increased Peregrine Fund conducted a pilot release (WSMR). Under the NEP designation, presence of the great horned owl, which project in south Texas from 1985 to critical habitat cannot be designated for preys upon the falcon, may be limiting 1989, and increased reintroduction efforts the falcon and WSMR is only required to recovery of this subspecies. Substantial in 1993. Reintroduced falcons have “confer” with the FWS if a proposed recolonization of U.S. habitats by successfully fledged more than 244 action is likely to jeopardize the naturally occurring falcons in Chihuahua, young since 1995. Predation by great continued existence of the species, which Mexico, would likely take decades, if it horned owls, raccoons, and coyotes is is unlikely. The use of the NEP preserves occurred at all, because the reproductive significant, affecting more than half of all the military mission and should be the rate of falcons in Chihuahua has typically nesting attempts. Nesting productivity fastest way to both successfully establish been low. However, falcons appear to be increased by approximately 40 percent in a falcon population in New Mexico and relatively tolerant of human presence and 2003 and 2004, when falcons were Arizona and aid in recovery and eventual are frequently found nesting in provided artificial nesting structures with delisting of the falcon. This effort association with well-managed livestock barred sides arranged so that falcons can promises to serve as a prime example of grazing operations in Mexico and Texas. enter the nest while predators cannot. cooperative conservation among federal It appears that falcons would be able to and state agencies to recover a species coexist with current land-use practices in The Peregrine Fund began releasing without impact to each agency’s mission. New Mexico on a broad scale. falcons in the trans-Pecos region of west Texas in 2002. All of the releases in The Recovery Plan recommends that an Texas have occurred on private property Program Contacts: attempt should be made to establish under Safe Harbor Agreement permits, currently with an enrollment of more than Conservation Team Leader, Office of 1.8 million acres. Safe Harbor the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense Agreements can only be developed for (Installations and Environment) private landowners. Most of the historical 703-604-0524 range is Chihuahuan Desert grassland, of http://www.denix.osd.mil/conservation

which public lands make up Program Manager, Department of approximately 50 percent. More than two Defense Partners in Flight Program million acres of suitable habitat for falcon 540-349-9662 restoration exist in New Mexico, which http://www.dodpif.org could support up to 200 pairs of falcons. Chief, Division of Partnerships and Much of this suitable habitat occurs Outreach, Endangered Species around Jornada del Muerto (includes Program, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service White Sands Missile Range and the 703-358-2390 Armendaris Ranch) and Otero Mesa on http://www.fws.gov/endangered northern Aplomado falcon Fort Bliss-McGregor Range. Photo: Chris Eberly, DoD PIF July 2007