Publisher's Synopsis
In this study-illustrated beautifully and extensively with 59 line drawings and 38 photographs-Hartmut Walter shows how the unique geographical and biological situation of Falco eleonorae makes the species' health an important indicator of environmental decay. For though it lives in relatively isolated areas, Eleonora's falcon nevertheless may ingest the many pollutants contained in its diet of birds migrating from industrial Europe. Walter, who has studied raptors on several continents and has been an ornithologist since his early youth, examines several discrete colonies of Eleonora's falcon. He concentrates on the species' intraspecific behavior and ecology-such as the falcons' aggressive actions, hunting strategies, and response to fluctuating environmental conditions-and investigates their evolutionary past.