Peregrine Falcon Chicks Banded at Nest Boxes on NY Bridges

Twelve peregrine falcon chicks were recently hatched under the Metropolitan Transport Authority’s nesting program. The birds, whose nest boxes are atop three New York bridges, were banded so they can be tracked as part of an ongoing program. The banding took place on May 28 and 29 when the chicks were three weeks old, and these images were released on June 2.

The chicks include two males and two females at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge; one male and three females at the Rockaway tower at Marine Parkway-Gil Hodges Memorial Bridge; and two males and two females on the Bronx tower at the Throgs Neck Bridge.

The MTA has been part of a state nesting program for the falcons since 1983. Peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out in the 1960s by pesticides in their food supply. They remain on the New York State endangered birds list. Credit: Metropolitan Transit Authority