Conservation Partnership Celebrates New Peregrine Falcon Chicks in Ameren Missouri's Service Territory
Peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in Franklin County, continuing a successful conservation partnership among Ameren Missouri, World Bird Sanctuary and the Missouri Department of Conservation. The public can now follow the chicks’ progress via Ameren Missouri’s Falcon Cam livestream as the adult peregrines prepare them to leave the nest later this summer.
“These hatchlings are truly the main highlight of every season, and we have recently confirmed that they are siblings to our chicks from the last two seasons in Franklin County,” said Jeff Meshach, deputy director at World Bird Sanctuary. “Our returning female, Thor, and her partner male have now produced a dozen chicks in the nesting box being documented by Ameren Missouri’s Falcon Cam.”
The eggs, laid in late March, required around 30 days of incubation. Within about nine days of hatching, the downy chicks will be able to regulate their own body temperature, allowing both parents to shift into full hunting mode to meet the demands of their hungry brood. By about six weeks of age, the young falcons will take their first flights, an important milestone marking the start of their independence.
“Our collaboration with World Bird Sanctuary and the Missouri Department of Conservation continues to strengthen the future of peregrines in our state,” said Julianne Randazzo, career environmental scientist at Ameren Missouri. “Each successful hatch contributes to the recovery of a species that has faced significant challenges across North America.”
While peregrine falcons were removed from the federal endangered species list in 1998, they remain a vulnerable species in Missouri. With only a handful of breeding pairs documented in the St. Louis region, the Falcon Cam provides valuable insights for conservation partners and gives the public a rare, intimate look at the species’ development.
The public is invited to continue watching the chicks through June on the Falcon Cam livestream, available daily from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. (CDT).