Peregrine Falcon Population in Australia

The Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) in Australia is represented by the subspecies F. p. macropus (Australian Peregrine). Population status:

Numbers

• No precise national census. Estimates: several hundred to low thousands of breeding pairs (likely 500–3,000 pairs).
• Widely distributed across mainland, Tasmania, and offshore islands—coastal cliffs, inland ranges, urban skyscrapers (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth).
• Density: Higher in temperate coastal zones, river gorges, wetlands; lower in arid interior.

Conservation Status

• EPBC Act: Not listed (secure).
• State lists: Mostly "Least Concern" or "Secure."
• IUCN: Global Least Concern.

Threats

• Habitat loss (cliff development).
• Pesticides (historical DDT – recovered; secondary rodenticide poisoning).
• Collisions (windows, vehicles, wires).
• Illegal take (falconry, egg collecting – rare).
• Climate change (prey shifts, extreme heat).

Monitoring

BirdLife Australia, state agencies, and raptor groups monitor key sites. Urban nests often live-streamed (e.g., 367 Collins St, Melbourne; Charles Sturt Uni, Orange).

Healthy, adaptable, iconic—but exact numbers remain an estimate.