EAST LANSING, Mich. (WLNS) — The four young peregrine falcon chicks living in a nest box atop Spartan Stadium at MSU were banded Wednesday morning.
Banding is the process where a bird receives a small colored band around its leg, so it may be easily tracked and identified.
Members of the Michigan DNR and the MSU Fisheries & Wildlife Club banded the four falcon chicks, Mohammed, Swooper, Egbert and Pickles, while the parent falcons, Freya and Apollo, watched on.
The bands received by the family of falcons will allow wildlife biologists to track them throughout their lives.
“Banding the chicks helps us track their survival,” said Jim Schneider, a senior specialist with MSU’s College of Agriculture and Natural Resources. “As well as their migration patterns.”
MSU’s Fisheries & Wildlife Club began the falcon nest box project in 2021, attracting the peregrine falcon mating pair, Apollo and Freya. The pair birthed the chicks last month.
You can watch a video of the process above.
