Aplomado Falcons depend on wide-open grasslands with ample local and migrating bird populations plus a host of other species to prey on such as insects, mammals, and reptiles. The falcon also benefits from mature yucca plants (adorned with nests built and abandoned by other species) for nesting and a balance of other predators. The Texas Gulf Prairie is one of the most threatened ecosystems in North America with only 1% of the original 6,000,000 acres remaining. Restoring and protecting grassland habitat has been crucial to the success of the current population of Aplomado Falcons. And with woody shrubs continuing to encroach on grasslands, habitat restoration remains a top priority.