EAST LANSING, Mich. — MSU's baby falcons are rocking some new anklets.
"Bird banding is very important because it can give researchers a lot of different information about a general individual. And then by extension the species as a whole," said Eddie Yago, treasurer of MSU's Fisheries and Wildlife Club.
The falcons were banded earlier this week.
"Banding these birds help us track their movement patterns and also their survival rates. So if we have these birds banded, they have a unique identifier number on one of the bands that is registered federally, with the federal US Fish and Wildlife Service, " said Chad Fedewa, a wildlife biologist for the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
After the MSU Fisheries and Wildlife Club raise $5,000 to build a nesting box, it didn't take long for the peregrine falcons, Freya and Apollo to move in, and have babies.
MSU researchers and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources went up to Spartan Stadium, grabbed the chicks, and quickly snapped on their new swag.
"We wanted to wear some protective gear, we had an umbrella available and kind of kind of hide us a little bit and kind of protect us if they do kind of swooped down at us," Chad said luckily they didn't.
Apollo and Freya weren't happy to see strangers in their home, but getting a metal band on the chicks was important.
"With banding, you know, we have the opportunity to learn about how far do the chicks go from the nest once they leave their parents, you know, where do they establish their own territory," said President of MSU's Fisheries and Wildlife club, Molly Engelman.
Fedewa said although peregrine are still a state threatened species, their numbers have been increasing.
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