Baby peregrine falcons stirring in the Commerce Tower nest

Kansas City, Mo. – At least three peregrine falcon chicks are stirring in their nest on a ledge at the Commerce Tower skyscraper, said Joe DeBold, an urban wildlife biologist for the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC). The eggs hatched late last week and the falcon family can be watched on live streaming video at mdc.mo.gov/node/21769

The chicks are huddled together and look like a ball of fur. DeBold has peered over the edge of the 30-story building to look down at the nest and watched on camera. But the young ones haven’t separated enough to determine if there are three or four chicks. There were originally four eggs. Also, the female often shelters the young with her body.

This is the first year webcam viewing of the nest at Commerce Tower has been made available to the public by the Missouri Department of Conservation in partnership with NAI Capital Realty, which manages the building.

The nest at Commerce Tower is MDC’s oldest and most productive site in Missouri for peregrine falcon restoration efforts in cities. The falcons originally nested on cliffs along the Missouri and Mississippi rivers. They are still considered endangered in Missouri but conservation efforts utilizing big-city buildings as substitutes for cliffs are helping sustain falcons in the state.

More than 30 young falcons have fledged or flown from the ledge since restoration efforts began there in 1991. MDC staff monitors four other nests in the Kansas City area. But Commerce Tower is the only site with a web camera.

For more information about falcons and wildlife in Missouri: mdc.mo.gov.