Peregrine falcon that crashed in Sengkang HDB released by Acres after 2 weeks' rehabilitation

A peregrine falcon that was found dazed at the void deck of a Housing Development Board (HDB) in Sengkang was released back into wild after two weeks' rehabilitation by the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres).

The bird was found at Block 217 Compassvale Drive by a passer-by walking his dog on Nov. 29, 2024 with bloodstains on the ground around it.

The passer-by subsequently alerted Acres.

Bird was very weak

The peregrine falcon, a rare visitor to Singapore, likely got injured after crashing into a building, Acres co-CEO Kalai Vanan told Mothership on Dec. 12.

"It showed signs of a complete stupor."

The bird suffered from head, spinal and tail injuries, all of which are "consistent with a bird hitting a wall or glass building", Kalai said.

The two days after it was brought back to Acres' wildlife centre, the team was unsure whether the bird would pull through, as it was "very weak".

"We didn't know whether the bird will survive," Kalai said.

However, it gradually showed signs of improvement after treatment and medication.

'Strong' and 'lucky' individual

Once the team assessed that the falcon was capable of flight again, it was brought to Sengkang Riverside Park to be released.

Kalai explained that there have been records of the species in the area, and that the bird was likely familiar with the place as well.

"He could have a partner there, and it's an area he's familiar with, where he's most likely hunting for pigeons.

So that is why we chose to release [the bird] back in the same area, so that it's easier for him to navigate around as well."

This is not the first time Acres has rescued peregrine falcons, though Kalai shared that they are "on the rarer side".

Often, a threat that migratory birds like peregrine falcons face in Singapore is crashing into buildings.

"[Peregrine falcons] are very fast-flying birds, so while they are hunting or they are navigating, sometimes they crash into the wall as as well," Kalai said.

Kalai added that the odds of birds crashing and surviving are low. This falcon is thus one determined bird.

"Often, a lot of birds crash, and a lot of them do not survive. They die almost immediately, or they die soon after rescue as well.

So I think this peregrine falcon is quite lucky, but it's also a very strong individual to pull through this."

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Top photo by Mothership and courtesy of Nigel and Lee Zhi Heng