Peregines in Minneapolis

On June 10, four healthy peregrine chicks were banded at the downtown Minneapolis 33 South 6th Street site. It has also been known as City Center and Multifoods Tower. This site has special significance in the story of the Midwest peregrine reintroduction efforts.

2007 was the 20th Anniversary of the fledging of the first peregrine in the wild in the Midwest since DDT wiped out the original population (see below for background). It was the first urban site to host a “hack box” of peregrine chicks, and the first Minnesota site since the 1960s to produce a wild-hatched peregrine that would fledge successfully. In 1985, Dr. Harrison “Bud” Tordoff and Dr. Patrick T. Redig, co-founder of The Raptor Center, approached the building management team at 33 South 6th Street to inquire about putting a “hack box" (also known as a "release box") on the roof. This release box would house young captive-bred peregrine chicks that would be the start of a reintroduction of the species.

DDT, bio-accumulated in the system of peregrines by consuming birds who had eaten grains/plants sprayed with DDT, interfered with egg-shell formation, so no new chicks were hatched for the species population to replenish itself. It took the combined efforts of banning DDT in the United States and re-introduction of the species by groups such as the Midwest Peregrine Society - housed at The Raptor Center - for peregrines to soar the skies once more.