The endangered peregrine falcon (Falco perigrinus) disappeared from the Virginia mountains a generation ago. In a cooperative program to reestablish this marvelous predator, state and federal biologists raised and released 60 young peregrines in their native haunts of mountain cliffs surrounding the Shenandoah Valley. The sleek birds of prey are now regularly seen in Shenandoah, Page, Rockingham, Augusta, and Amherst counties in Virginia and in Hardy and Pendleton counties in West Virginia. Peregrines are masters of speed. While diving for prey, they've been clocked at speeds in excess of 200 miles per hour, making them the world's fastest animal.
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