The unusually large home ranges and poor breeding performance of peregrine falcons Falco peregrinus in central Catalonia (NE Iberia) may reveal poor habitat quality

We studied the movements and home range of two breeding adult Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus in central Catalonia. Both individuals had large home ranges (3,600 and 345 km2) and extensive maximum daily movements of 192 and 205 km, respectively. One individual even travelled 102 km from the nest during chick-rearing. These values are among the largest home ranges reported for the species. Additionally, we collected productivity data from the same area for a period of 30 years, which revealed poor breeding performance. Comparing these findings, we suggest that the habitat quality is low in the studied area, which forces these falcons to move large distances. This will potentially have associated costs in terms of adult mortality, which may directly affect population dynamics and have implications for conservation planning.