We chose this photo of a peregrine falcon—a female, walking across the rail of a balcony in Chicago—to inspire hope on Endangered Species Day. Not every animal listed as endangered is doomed to extinction. Peregrine populations were decimated by the use of pesticides, such as DDT, in the mid-20th century. The chemicals accumulated in the birds’ bodies, causing weak eggshells and high mortality rates for chicks. But by the 1980s humans had learned the cause, reduced and eliminated the various chemicals, and helped the birds rebound with gusto.
It’s Endangered Species Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
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Pretty in pink, and purple, and red…
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Bungle Bungle Range in Purnululu National Park, Australia
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A day for the oceans
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Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea
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Duck, duck. duck, duck, duck...
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Pumpkin patch
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National Take a Hike Day
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Splügen Pass, Switzerland
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Tesla, the visionary
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National Public Lands Day
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Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
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Kissing Day
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Jackie Robinson Day
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An inland ocean
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San Francisco’s City Hall illuminated by the iconic colors of Pride
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Rosa Parks Day
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Happy Presidents Day
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International Day of Mangrove Conservation
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20 years later
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Celebrating the first day of spring
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International Kissing Day
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Have a ‘beary’ good Earth Day
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A temple, preserved
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Tigh Mor Trossachs on Loch Achray, Scotland
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The frog prince?
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Storseisundet Bridge, Norway
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All in a day s work
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Instant romance
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Perseid meteor shower over Oregon
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Balloons and camels are two ways to catch a ride here