The peregrine falcon, which was pushed to the brink of extinction by widespread use of DDT, is expected to be removed from the endangered species list tomorrow, the first species to be delisted since 1994. At the beginning of this century, there were an estimated 3,900 breeding peregrine pairs; by 1975, the number had fallen to 324; now it has rebounded to 1,650. Ten percent of the pairs in the continental U.S. are urban dwellers, making their homes in New York City, Chicago, Detroit, and other cities. Some environmentalists think that populations in the East are still too fragile to be delisted. But federal officials and other enviros say the recovery of the peregrine, the world’s fastest flying bird, is proof that the 1973 Endangered Species Act can save species from extinction.
