Do Peregrines kill racing pigeons?
Yes, Peregrines kill some racing pigeons. There has been some research carried out into this subject area in Scotland, Wales and also in Northern Ireland. This is an unfortunate conflict in which the Peregrine has no concept of the problems that it causes. They are hunting prey, which meets their natural need for survival and pigeons are released into areas and fly over Peregrine territories are at a risk of being caught. Also some pigeon lofts may be near to breeding territories too. Some of the pigeons that are predated may have been lost from races or not returned to lofts from training flights. Often it is juvenile pigeons that are caught, as with the way in which they have been catching a large number of young starlings at both Carrowdore and Kilrea, young birds are easier prey and not often as wise to how to respond to predators. Not all pairs will predate pigeons as diet varies widely in individual pairs. This webcam project has shown that there were two pigeon kills in each of
