Peregrine falcon
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St. Paul - The rare peregrine falcon is making a comeback in Minnesota.

The peregrine, which is the fastest bird in the world, was nearly extinct by the 1960s. But after intense restoration projects in the 1970s and 80s, Minnesota now has more than 50 peregrine pairs that raised 93 young last year.

Lori Naumann of the Minnesota DNR calls it a "great success story." It was removed from the U.S. endangered species list in 1999, and Naumann says it could come off Minnesota's threatened species list in the next few years.

St. Paul police officer Bob Winsor had his own peregrine sighting recently. He stopped traffic at Snelling and Ashland avenues for about 30 minutes while a peregrine feasted on a dead pigeon in the middle of the road.

Winsor says: "Anything that kills pigeons is good with me."

Source: Associated Press