Peregrine Falcon Chicks Banded at Wells Fargo

Two male chicks were banded at the Wells Fargo building in Bloomington, MN yesterday.  The female is fourteen-year-old b/g 30/E Speedy, hatched 2003 at the King plant in Bayport, MN, and the male is b/g D/32 MPR2, a 2004 hatch from City Center (33. S. 6^th Street) in Minneapolis. The Wells Fargo site has been active since 1997.

Two bands are placed on the legs of each chick; one is a federal USFWS band.  The other is a bi-color band, recognized as a project band, and can be read with a scope or binoculars.  Chicks are banded at about 21 days of age (the Wells Fargo chicks are banded a little younger).  The legs are the size they will be as adults, even though the chicks are not their full adult weight.  The bands are used to identify the birds and provide information many aspects of peregrine falcon biology, including population and distribution, age, and site specifics.

TRC staff provide leadership, technical advice, and administrative support for the Midwest Peregrine Society, which includes 13 Midwest states and two Canadian provinces.  The history of the Midwest peregrine restoration project, as well as a searchable database for the public to look up individual birds, sites and states, is here.