Murcia City Council has signed a collaboration agreement with four authorised breeding centres in Andalusia to incorporate four new peregrine falcons into its ‘Proyecto Falco’ during 2026. The initiative aims to reintroduce the native species into the urban environment and establish a sustainable, biological method of controlling the pigeon population.

The two-year agreement, which can be extended for a further two years, involves the centres Los Gálvez in Córdoba, and Reyesfalcon, Astifalcon-Halcones de Astigi and El Quinto in Seville. The facilities will provide captive-bred specimens of the subspecies Falco peregrinus brookei, native to the Mediterranean region and also found in the wild in Murcia.

The council will use the ‘hacking’ technique, installing nesting boxes at strategic points in the city so the birds can gradually adapt to their surroundings before flying freely. Specialist veterinarians from the municipal Animal Protection Centre will supervise the marking and monitoring of the released falcons.

Municipal services estimate there are around 8,000 pigeons in Murcia’s urban centre, creating public health concerns and damaging historic buildings and street furniture. Although about 4,000 pigeons are captured each year to stabilise numbers, officials say the falcons will provide a complementary natural deterrent. The project began in June 2023, and breeding in the wild is expected once the birds reach full maturity.