Raptors are close to the same level in the food chain as humans so they're an indicator of environmental health. The prey they consume eats other prey or vegetable matter and their systems accumulate pollutants and pesticides. So they will be the first to be affected by problems found in the environment. Ecologically speaking, from an ecosystem point of view, if a
population of micro mammals disappears from a given area, and there are birds of prey whose survival depends on this species, they will also be quite affected. We talk of pollution but it's more than that. If a habitat is disturbed, modified in such a way that a layer in the pyramid is affected, birds of prey will be an indicator. After detecting DDT in
Peregrine falcons, we asked ourselves: have any other vertebrates, including human beings, been affected? And yes, this pollutant was also found in humans.