3 young peregrine falcons on Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning fledge the nest

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3 young peregrine falcons on Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning fledge the nest

3 young peregrine falcons on Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning fledge the nest

The three young peregrine falcons that hatched on top of Pitt’s Cathedral of Learning this spring have fledged the nest.

The National Aviary says the three siblings will continue to hang around the nest as they grow comfortable flying and hunting on their own. Before the juveniles fledged, viewers of the National Aviary’s FalconCam could see them taking turns on the edge of the nest box, exercising their wings as they prepared for their first flights.

Later this year, after they’ve gained all the skills they need to survive on their own, the young falcons will take off.

Since the birds were recently banded by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, scientists will be able to track their next moves.

“Whether they remain local or move to another bridge, cliff, or skyscraper rooftop in Pennsylvania or another nearby state, we should be able to tell where they end up, when they mate, and if they are surviving and thriving in their new homes,” the National Aviary said on its website.

Viewers of the FalconCam have been watching Carla and Ecco’s chicks since they hatched at the end of April. While Ecco has been at the Cathedral of Learning since 2020, Carla first appeared in 2023, and the couple had their first brood last year. Those two chicks were also banded.

Peregrine falcons were formerly endangered in Pennsylvania because of the use of the agricultural pesticide DDT. Banding the chicks helps scientists study the behavior of falcons while determining the current status of their populations.

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