Chicks have been Banded
5/22, 3:45 PM: Despite the overcast weather in Richmond today, the four falcon chicks atop the Riverfront Plaza West Tower have been banded and returned to the nest box. All of the chicks were alert and judged to be in good health based on their appearance and overall behavior. Following the completion of banding and data collection we assembled the pen which has been used in previous years to prevent premature fledge events. After its assembly, the chicks were swiftly returned to the nest box where they were then fed by the adult female shortly after staff left.
Before attaching their bands, each chick was weighed and received a leg measurement to determine its sex and the corresponding size band. Based on these measurements, we determined that this year’s brood is made up of three males and one female (the youngest chick), who despite being approximately four days younger than her brothers, ended up weighing the most. Peregrine falcon chicks can be accurately sexed at this age based on their size considering females are roughly 30% larger than males, which accounts for the difference in weight. After being banded, a piece of colored tape was wrapped around the federal band on the right leg. This tape is applied each year during banding and is used to help biologists keep track of the birds after they fledge — it will fall off naturally within a few weeks.
This is the sixth year that the adults have successfully raised chicks within the pen and as such, we don’t anticipate any issues with feeding but will continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure the chicks are still receiving meals. When they are old enough to fledge, staff will open the pen door at which point the chicks will be free to disperse from the nest box and pen at their leisure. Be on the lookout for a future post which will announce the anticipated Fledgewatch dates for 2026.
The chicks, having just received their bands, are returned to the pen.
These banding and monitoring efforts are incredibly important as they allow biologists to track the movements, lineages, reproductive history, and longevity of individual birds. This is especially important in small falcon populations that are still recovering, as is the case in Virginia. Finally, we also want to extend a special thanks to the VIP guests that joined us today including staff from the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources office, staff from the Auditor of Public Accounts, and our lucky 2026 raffle winners.