Escalating Falcon is a Hazy IPA brewed with Falconers Flight and Citra hops. Bursting with tropical fruit flavors, this beer soars to new heights celebrating the conservation efforts that are saving the majestic raptor.
For a limited time, get Hazy IPA on tap our buy a four pack of our limited edition anniversary cans at Headflyer Brewing in Northeast Minneapolis. Proceeds support the raptors being cared for in our world class hospital.

As top-of-the-food-chain predators, raptors are our lens into the health of the shared environment. Surveilling and aiding in raptor health is an early detection system, alerting us to wider ecosystem challenges happening down the rest of the food chain. Learn how you can support raptors and the environment we share today!

Our world renowned hospital is nearly 100% donor supported, meaning your help goes directly to the medications, equipment, food, and expertise required to save these raptors.
Our veterinarians begin providing care to injured raptors at the moment of admission. You can make a gift of any size that helps start the healing journey of a raptor patient the moment they arrive at our hospital.
In addition, you are providing essential resources for conservation research that will give future generations the opportunity to experience raptors in the wild and enjoy our shared ecosystems.

Imagine a world without the fastest animal on earth gracing our skies. A somber reality 40 years ago, today, there are about 200 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons in the Midwest thanks to intense conservation efforts.
The Raptor Center was at the forefront of saving the peregrine falcon. Read the harrowing story below about bringing this incredible species back from extinction told by TRC's co-founder and inventor of raptor medicine, Dr. Pat Redig.
Dr. Redig, TRC co-founder, recounts saving the peregrine falcon.
Written by Dr. Patrick Redig
Today, there are some 200 nesting pairs of peregrine falcons in the Midwest pumping out more than 350 young peregrines each year. But it wasn't always this way. The North American population of peregrines was eliminated from most of the U.S. and Canada following a post-WWII introduction of the chemical Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) into the environment to “control” insects for agriculture. The last peregrine pair attempted to nest without success in Minnesota around 1965 and DDT was fingered as the culprit.
DDT was banned by the Environmental Protection Agency in 1972 due to its harmful impact on agricultural practices, forests, and human health. Several peregrine breeding projects throughout the U.S. and Canada were soon formed. Bud Tordoff, ornithologist and then director of the Bell Museum, and myself, one of The Raptor Center’s (TRC) co-founders and first executive director, were keen to see the peregrine restored to its rich habitat in the Midwest.

Tordoff was well associated with various supporters of conservation work in the region, including The Nature Conservancy and a cohort of supporters of the Bell Museum. Additionally, the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources nongame program was established under the aegis of Carrol Henderson in 1981. A Midwest consortium was formed that led to the establishment of a release site at Weaver Dunes, south of Kellogg, Minn. In the spring of 1985, the first five young captive bred peregrines were brought to Minnesota for release.

From that humble beginning, over the next 16 years, close to a thousand young peregrines were released to the Lake Superior North Shore and metropolitan areas including Minneapolis, Minn.; Grand Rapids, Mich.; Madison, Wis.; Indianapolis, Ind.; Columbus, Ohio; Des Moines and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; and Louisville, Ky.; The population grew to the point where it exceeded the historical population by a factor of four. Owing to the success of this effort in the Midwest and others elsewhere in the country, the peregrine falcon was removed from the list of endangered species in 1999.
TRC played a central role in the entire recovery effort throughout the Midwest in coordinating the acquisition and distribution of peregrines, caring for young peregrines in-house until they were at the appropriate age for release, coordinating media coverage, providing medical care for peregrines injured during the acclimation process, and coordinating the banding of young peregrines.
Today, the coordination of peregrine monitoring and yearly banding and record keeping is conducted by the Midwest Peregrine Society. Learn some more fun facts about the amazing peregrine falcon.
Fun facts about peregrine falcons
Scientific Name
Falco peregrinus
Identifying Characteristics
A large falcon in which the sexes look alike. The male (the tiercel) is about two-thirds the size of the female (the falcon). Adults have a dark slate-blue back and wings and a dark blue tail that is lightly barred. The top of the head is dark with a dark stripe (malar stripe) running down the side of the face. The cere, legs, and feet are bright yellow. The underside of the adult is light with vertical streaks across the breast, belly, and legs. Immatures are uniformly brown on the back, top of the head, and wings, with a light underside streaked with brown. Peregrine falcons are widely distributed resulting in many populations and sub-species (22 by one count) each with a slight variation of the above plumage.
Range
Distributed worldwide, peregrine falcons are found on every continent except Antarctica. They can be found breeding in the arctic tundra, through Europe, and North America, and south into Africa, South America, the Pacific Islands and Australia.
Habitat
Peregrine falcons are birds of open spaces usually associated with high cliffs and bluffs overlooking rivers and coasts. Recently, many cities with tall buildings have become home to pairs of peregrines. Many populations are migratory (their name means "wandering falcon") and will travel great distances.
Nesting
Their nest is a scrape made on the bare rock of a cliff, where two to four eggs are laid. There are also a few records of tree-nesting peregrine falcons in the eastern United States. Many cities in North America have had peregrines nesting on the ledges of tall buildings or under bridges where human-made nest boxes have been placed.
Feeding Habits
The most spectacular of hunters, peregrine falcons feed almost exclusively on birds they take in the air. High-speed dives enable peregrines to catch everything from songbirds to herons and ducks.
Raptor Center Data
An average of 15-20 peregrine falcons, mostly juveniles, are admitted to the clinic each year. In In the 1980s and 1990s, TRC was involved in reintroductions of this species, which have recently resulted in breeding pairs in the Twin Cities as well as many other Midwestern states.
Conservation Notes
Peregrine falcons were taken off the endangered species list in August 1999.
Learn more about the 31 local Midwest raptor species
The Raptor Center has gathered facts about many of the raptor species found in the upper Midwest, including: common and scientific names, identifying characteristics, range of locations where they are found, habitat, nesting, and feeding habits.

We are the world's leading raptor trauma center and teaching hospital for over 1,000 eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, osprey, and vultures every year. It begins with you, alerting us to birds in need of rescue. Then our clinical staff tailors a treatment plan for each bird's healing and strengthening needs. Finally, our goal is returning birds to the wild where they belong most, fostering ecosystem health.
Through our medical work, we are home to rich ecosystem health data and continues to investigate current risks to raptor health and our shared ecosystem. We also has a variety of opportunities for those looking to learn more about working with raptors and confronting grand conservation challenges. From virtual courses in the medical, rehabilitation, and ambassador raptor care and training spaces, to in-person workshops, internships and residencies.