No one likes to hear sad outcomes, but it is a reality that the first year of a raptor’s life is fraught with danger and obstacles as they are perfecting their flying and hunting skills. Data collection has shown that Peregrine Falcons have a lifespan of 12 – 15 years in the wild, BUT that is if they make it through the first year of life. That first year only has a 40% survival rate.
And so it was that the female Peregrine Falcon hatched this year in the nest box of the 4th and Vine building downtown Cincinnati was found dead on a sidewalk in Covington, KY, right across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. There were no outward signs of injury. The bands placed on the falcon’s legs were able to identify the bird as the female hatched in 2014 in the downtown Cincinnati nest box.
The Cincinnati Museum Center was called to pick up the falcon and a thorough examination was performed to learn more about her demise. The weight was well over 2 pounds (the average of a female peregrine), and she had bits and pieces of fresh bird in her crop. She was definitely a good huntress! A brain hemorrhage, clots in the body cavity and wing fractures suggested she crashed into something at top speed. Since her crop was full, it was believed she was being chased by another bird.
RAPTOR Inc. has the necessary permits to have feathers, wings and feet, and samples are often taken from raptors which do not survive to use as bio-facts in educational presentations at schools, libraries and events. In the case of the Cincinnati female peregrine falcon, the Cincinnati Museum Center is able to make use of the body in many ways. The museum is a repository for tissue samples requested from around the country for DNA research. Educators and researchers often request to borrow skins for their projects. Occasionally samples will go on exhibit in the natural history museum. It is comforting to know that even though death was not what we hoped for; her life was not without significance.
Last pic of her!
*Raptor Blog Spot
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