Once-endangered falcons reach milestone — good news for those perched at City Hall

Pennsylvania Game Commission falcons
Photo credit Pat Loeb/KYW Newsradio
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Mom and Dad falcon were none too pleased to see Arthur McMorris show up for his yearly invasion of their privacy. 

The Pennsylvania Game Commission falcon expert made his annual trip to Philadelphia City Hall last week to check on the family of falcons that have been living on a ledge of the 15th floor for eight years.

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What the falcons might not realize is the commission's efforts are for the good of their whole species.

"Peregrine falcons were completely wiped out by DDT in the 1950s," he explained, "so the only reason we have peregrine falcons here now is due to a massive captive breeding and release program."

As part of the program, McMorris takes the baby bird from the nest so he can record its sex, age and a little DNA, and put a band on its ankle for tracking.

City Hall falcons 4/5: Banding the baby pic.twitter.com/fXbs9p4qwG

— Pat Loeb (@PatLoeb) May 15, 2019

The brief upheaval has had a long-term benefit: Peregrine falcons came off the endangered species list in March.

"They can manage on their own," McMorris noted. "They don't need these very involved management efforts."