Live Utica Falcons Nest Box
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About this Falcon Cam:
This peregrine falcon nest box is located on a tall building in Utica, New York. The nest box has a total of four live webcam views so you won't miss any of the action at this location!
Peregrine Falcons may travel widely outside the nesting season—their name means "wanderer." Though some individuals are permanent residents, many migrate. Yet they have an incredible homing instinct that leads them back to favored aeries. Some nesting sites have been in continuous use for hundreds of years, occupied by successive generations of falcons. Peregrine falcons prefer to nest in high places like cliffs, skyscrapers, churches, and other man-made structures.
Mating season is late March through May. Peregrine falcons mate for life and breed in the same territory each year. The male courts the female for about one month, using aerial displays. The incubation period for their eggs is 29-32 days and the female will lay a clutch on average of 3-4 eggs. Both the male and female incubate the eggs for about one month. The chicks start to fly in about 42 days, but are still dependent on their parents to learn how to hunt. Peregrine falcons are very territorial during breeding season and will vigorously defend their nests.
The falcon's diet consists of other birds, and occasionally bats. When hunting, they can fly up to 67 mph, and when "stooping" on their prey, will dive up to speeds of 238 mph. The falcon does have predators of its own to contend with, such as eagles and Great Horned Owls.
Peregrine populations were in steep decline during the mid-20th century, and in the United States these beautiful falcons became an endangered species. The birds have rebounded strongly since the use of DDT and other chemical pesticides was curtailed. Captive breeding programs have also helped to boost the bird's numbers in the U.S. and Canada. Now populations are strong in those nations, and in some parts of the globe, there actually may be more peregrines than existed before the 20th-century decline.
Peregrines are favored by falconers, and have been used in that sport for many centuries.
The falcon's diet consists of other birds, and occasionally bats. When hunting, they can fly up to 67 mph, and when "stooping" on their prey, will dive up to speeds of 238 mph. The falcon does have predators of its own to contend with, such as eagles and Great Horned Owls.