Peregrine Falcon Chicks Get Banded At Cathedral Of Learning
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The Peregrine falcon chicks that nest atop Pitt's Cathedral of Learning were banded Tuesday morning.
The chicks hatched last month. Tuesday morning, biologists from the Pennsylvania Game Commission went out on the ledge, on the 40th floor of the Cathedral in Oakland, broom in tow, to keep mom, Hope, away while they retrieved the chicks and brought them inside to be inspected. Mom wasn't happy.
Happening NOW: Biologists from the @PAGameComm prepare to put bands on baby falcon chicks at the #Pitttweet Cathedral of Learning. The mother, Hope, isn't happy about what's about to happen. #KDKA pic.twitter.com/vYM0B9xLaX
— Lisa Washington (@LisaWashing) May 14, 2019
"She's the fastest thing out there. She will defend her nest from mammal or avian predators, very aggressive behaviors," said Dan Brauning, Wildlife Diversity Division Chief of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. "I just invaded her nest, so she was aggressive."
Inside the Babcock Room, the baby birds screeched and squirmed. Biologists say they look good.
It's getting loud in the Babcock room at the Cathedral of Learning. The peregrine chicks at @PittTweet are 22 days old. The div. chief from @PAGameComm says they should be able to fly in another 22 days. He says, "It's an honor to hold the world's fastest flying animal." #KDKA pic.twitter.com/v07tHDcS50
— Lisa Washington (@LisaWashing) May 14, 2019
The chicks received flea powder for lice, and they were banded to be identified in the wild.
The bands will stay on their legs throughout their lifetime.
"Without that marker, there wouldn't be way to know where a Peregrine you see in the wild, where it came from, and you can answer questions like how long do they live," said Brauning.
"By marking them, we learn about their breeding history, how faithful they are to breeding sites, their seasonal movements," said Bob Mulvihill, ornithologist at the National Aviary.
The first baby falcon chick gets its first checkup. The chicks get flea powder to help with lice. The veterinarian says this is normal. #KDKA pic.twitter.com/viADGEkKpc
— Lisa Washington (@LisaWashing) May 14, 2019
The baby birds haven't been named yet. Experts say they should learn to fly in the next 22 days.
Hope laid five eggs, but only the two hatched. Both are male.
