Peregrine Falcons at UC Davis Medical Center
For the fifth season, peregrine falcons laid their eggs atop UC Davis Medical Center. Their nest is located a safe distance from the hospital's busy helipad. Four chicks hatched in late April 2023, about a month after the eggs were laid. All four falcon chicks left the nest by the end of June.
The chicks received their official names: Millennium, Serenity, Defiant and Roci. Each is named after a different starship from a television or movie series in space. The names were chosen by Sara Lin from the UC Davis School of Medicine. She won the contest held by UC Davis Health, making the closest guess to when the first peregrine falcon egg would hatch.
A local falcon expert banded the young peregrine falcons for future identification. The bands will provide researchers with valuable data on peregrine survival rates, dispersal distances and population growth rates.
Come back next season to see if the peregrine falcon parents will lay more eggs at UC Davis Health.
About the Peregrine Falcon
The peregrine falcon mom at UC Davis Medical Center has been keeping a very watchful eye on her four new nesting chicks. (Photo by Ken Waller, UC Davis Health)
The peregrine falcon was previously on the federal list of Endangered Species and was one of the first birds to be placed on California's Endangered Species List. The raptor was removed from the federal list in 1999, thanks to effort by The Peregrine Fund and others. The ban of DDT in 1972 across the U.S. also helped the species recover, leading to its removal from the state Endangered Species List in 2009.
Experts estimate the first-year survival rate for the chicks will be about 50%, as urban falcons face hazards such as injury, illness, and predators. The young birds typically begin flying away from the nest at the medical center sometime in mid-June. Experts say the birds usually stay in the area an additional month while their parents continue to feed them and encourage them to hunt.
Here are a few other facts about peregrine falcons:
- Scientific name: Falco peregrinus
- Body length: 13-20 in (33-50 cm)
- Wingspan: 31-48 in (78-122 cm)
- Weight: 1 to 3.5 lbs (0.4-1.5 kg)
- Like many raptors, peregrine falcon females are larger than males.
- Peregrine falcons can hit top speeds in flight of 200 mph and are considered the fastest animal on earth.
- Peregrines don't build typical nests like other birds, but instead lay eggs in a shallow indentation on the edge of a high cliff or other man-made structure, like a building or bridge.
- Baby peregrine falcons can start flying at 43 to 44 days old.
- Peregrines typically prey on small- to medium-sized birds, like songbirds, ducks, doves and pigeons. They are also known to feed on small reptiles, mammals and bats.
To learn more about the peregrine falcon and other birds of prey, check out the California Raptor Center at UC Davis and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.