LANSING (WILX) A Peregrine
falcon with three eggs was recently found on the rooftop of the Comerica Bank
Building in downtown Lansing.
The bird, which is an endangered
species in Michigan, was found on April 5th by a worker during a construction
business meeting.
The U.S. peregrine falcon
population declined in the 1960's due to a pesticide called DDT. By 1968, the
entire U.S. peregrine falcon population east of the Mississippi River was gone.
According to a June 2017 report
from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, the southeast Michigan
Peregrine Falcon population has increased from five young birds reintroduced in
1987 to 15 nesting pairs that reared 30 young in 2016.
More from the DNR: "These
falcons require large areas of open air for hunting, and are not found in areas
that are heavily forested. The diet of the peregrine falcon includes a wide
variety of small birds, including pigeons, seabirds, shorebirds and songbirds.
Occasionally, they have been known to take small ducks, earning them the
misleading name "duck hawks." Peregrines hunt by diving at their prey
from far above and catching it in mid-flight. During these incredible dives,
called "stoops," the birds can reach speeds of 180 miles per
hour."
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