Montrose Point, October 28, 2023. Photo by Geoff Williamson.

words by Max Wacker

This article was originally published in the Winter 2023 issue of COS’s official membership publication, The Chicago Birder. To receive this quarterly digital magazine, become a COS member today!

Here are some interesting facts about Peregrine Falcons: In a dive, they are the fastest animals in the world. They are also one of the most widespread birds in the world. They are found on every continent minus Antarctica. The Peregrine Falcon is also Chicago’s official city bird, with 2024 marking their twenty-fifth year donning the honorific title.

I like to think all these things go hand in hand, much like mustard on hotdogs. The Peregrine Falcon, in many ways, represents the essence of what Chicago is. Chicago’s presence and influence has reached many places, people, and institutions—it is a world renowned city, with widespread influence.

New York may be the city that never sleeps, but Chicago feels fast. In Life on The Mississippi Mark Twain writes, “It is hopeless for the occasional visitor to try to keep up with Chicago—she outgrows his prophecies faster than he can make them. She is always a novelty; for she is never the Chicago you saw through the last time.” And granted, Mark Twain didn’t have to suffer traffic on the Kennedy, but his sentiment accurately describes present day Chicago. The city is ever changing and adapting—like the Peregrine Falcon, who faced the brink of extinction, and found a new home in Chicago’s skyline, with help from its citizens.

The Decline of the Peregrine Falcons

Peregrine Falcons were once abundant in Illinois. It is estimated 400–500 pairs of Peregrine Falcons nested in the midwestern and eastern United States. However, with the introduction of a pesticide known as DDT, Peregrine Falcons were almost completely wiped out. DDT caused abnormal reproductive behavior in adults, specifically causing eggshells to become too thin to allow incubation. The last successful nest from an Illinois Peregrine pair had been recorded in 1951. In 1973 Peregrine Falcons were considered endangered.

This egg thinning caused incubating adults to crush the eggs before the eggs could successfully hatch. Mary Hennen, Director of the Chicago Peregrine Program, explains in this video that, thanks to cataloging and collections done by the Field Museum, researchers were able to compare egg shells prior to DDT and see the damage that was being done by the introduction of DDT.

Montrose Point, November 1, 2020. Photo by Geoff Williamson.

Mary suggests that, had samples not been collected and cataloged, the connection between DDT and the damage done to eggs may not have been made. It is because of the comparisons between cataloged samples of over 100 years and shell fragments from failed nests that preventative measures were enacted.

Hacking the Midwest

Hacking is a method of raising captive young in a pseudo-nest, usually referred to as a “hack box.” Hacking has been practiced for centuries and used for an array of birds of prey. The hack box usually has a sliding barred or grated door that allows the young birds to view the habitat of wherever the hack box has been set up. People attending to the hack box can feed the birds without being seen. Attendants are also able to trigger a trap door that allows the birds to leave.

The idea is the birds will venture out of the hack box and test the waters of the habitat they’ve been released in. They’ll learn to fly, to hunt, and to survive on their own, and over time, stop relying on the hack box at all. They’ll establish their own nests and find their way fully into the wild.

The Chicago Peregrine Program was established in 1985 with a goal to restore peregrines to Illinois. The Chicago Peregrine Program worked with the Raptor Center to obtain and transfer young peregrines from breeders and falconers. By 1986 Chicago’s first hacked peregrines were released on the roof of UIC’s University Hall.

The male, named Jingles, became the state’s first post-decline breeder. The hack site was moved to Fort Sheridan, and no peregrines nested on University Hall again until 1996. By this time, the peregrines had bred naturally at the site. Over the years, almost 50 buildings in the city have been used as nest sites. These nests are verified annually by scientists.

Between 1986 and 1990 the Chicago Peregrine Program released 46 Peregrine Falcons from four different hack sites. This method worked well for peregrines in the Chicago area, and the birds quickly adapted using skyscrapers as their nesting sites. In 2015, Peregrine Falcons were removed from the Illinois endangered list, but were still protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. At that time, The Chicago Peregrine Program was monitoring 29 peregrine territories. Twenty pairs attempted breeding, and fifteen were successful.

New Neighbors: A Long Term Lease

Peregrine Falcons are naturally a cliff dwelling species. They adapted well to being released in an urban environment, finding that the various architectural styles in Chicago provide ample nest sites, and city blocks were similar to the cliff formations they were used to. Peregrines don’t build conventional nests but lay their eggs in a scrape, which is a small depression made on a ledge. Ledges that give peregrines the ability to see all around them and have wind blockage make excellent nesting sites.

126th St. Marsh, February 21, 2022. Photo by Walter Marcisz.

However, Peregrine Falcons don’t have the entire city at their disposal. The Chicago Peregrine Program works with tenants, building managers, and engineers to help assure the birds and occupants can co-exist as much as possible. Established nests may not be tampered with during breeding season, but once the season is over, tenants can work with the Chicago Peregrine Program to set up safe measures that will prevent the peregrines returning to the specific site the following season.

The relationship between the volunteers at the Chicago Peregrine Program and willing citizens of Chicago is symbiotic. The Chicago Peregrine Program helps educate and sets up safer habitats for the peregrines, while the public can help monitor and relay information. This information from the public is instrumental in helping the Chicago Peregrine Program gather as much data as possible.

Chicago is known for its abundance of great food, and Peregrine Falcons reap this benefit as well. Peregrine Falcons are not picky eaters by any means—it’s been documented that over 450 different avian species have been predated by North American Peregrine Falcons. Scientists collect information on the food peregrines eat by examining remains left at nest sites. That data helps researchers better understand migration patterns and hunting habits. For example, during winter, peregrines tend to seek prey over open water and will also eat more of what is readily available.

Democracy for the Birds

The Peregrine Falcon became Chicago’s official bird by a vote. Not just by a vote of a few select board members, or a small organization, but rather this was a vote held by the Department of Environment that some 42,000 people participated in. It's hard to not think about the adage of “vote early, vote often” being applied to this event. People love to pick a side, and it’s fun to think that was the case for this vote. Were people going door to door campaigning for their favorite possibility?

I spoke with Suzanne Malec-Mckenna, who at the time was the Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Environment. The Chicago Department of Environment worked hand in hand with an organization called Nature Chicago, started in 1998. Nature Chicago laid a lot of the groundwork for the Bird Vote and worked with all facets of the city to not only bring the whole thing to fruition, but also to make sure as much of the city was involved as possible. There were newspaper articles, radio advertisements, and a party at Navy Pier.

Eggers Grove, October 7, 2019. Photo by Walter Marcisz.

The actual vote took place in 1999 between October 16 and 22. Twenty-eight voting locations were set up throughout the city at Park District facilities, City Hall, and high schools. The candidates on the ballot included Belted Kingfisher, Black-crowned Night-Heron, Cedar Waxwing, Common Nighthawk, Eastern Kingbird, and the Peregrine Falcon. All were welcome to vote; you didn’t have to be a registered voter.

In a Chicago Tribune article published on September 27, 1999, writer Mary O’Brien made the campaign very presidential. The article stated the bird vote would happen every four years but offered no indication whether the “elected official” would only be allowed two terms. In the article, Terri Likens, who formerly edited the Chicago Audubon Society (now Chicago Bird Alliance) newsletter, saw specific bird camps form and expected lobbying for specific birds.

Terri also explained that each bird had distinct personalities and nicknames, as if they each had their own campaign ads. The Black-crowned Night-Heron (Likens’ personal favorite) was nicknamed “Blues Bird because it hangs out at night on the South Side, with bloodshot eyes.” The Cedar Waxwing was nicknamed “The Rush Street Bird—because it gets drunk by eating fermented berries.” Suzanne recalled that the Peregrine Falcon was appropriately named “The Comeback Kid.” Of those three, there definitely seems to be a clear winner based on the nicknames alone.

Unfortunately, I was not able to source a picture or a copy of the ballot used in the vote. Suzanne states it was “awesome” and featured hand drawings of each potential bird. Hearing Suzanne reminisce, it does sound like the event was a labor of love. I reached out to the Chicago Board of Elections, the department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, hunted online, talked to people at the library, bugged people on LinkedIn, and still could not locate the ballot. With our present seemingly infinite and constant access to information, it’s hard to imagine a picture isn’t floating around somewhere. Yet, the fact that it is so elusive does make it seem all the more mysterious. (If anyone reading this has any information about how to obtain a copy of the ballot, please reach out to COS.)

Suzanne reminisced fondly about Chicago during that time. Listening to her talk, one got a sense Chicago, and specifically Mayor Richard Daley, was driven to make nature a focal point in the city. Suzanne directed me to a publication called Birds of the Windy City, which was published by Nature Chicago. In it is a picture of Mayor Daley signing the Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds, while a Peregrine Falcon and their handler watch on. The publication even includes the peregrine’s seal for the “Official Bird of the City of Chicago.” Suzanne told me: “Back then, Nature in cities [wasn’t] on the tip of peoples tongues,” and it does seem Chicago was trying to shift that narrative with events like the bird vote, and the Birds of the Windy City publication.

A City Divided

In searching for information about the Peregrine Falcon related specifically to Chicago, there were a surprising number of videos with titles like “Peregrine Falcon attacks pedestrian.” My research to this point was solely focused on the positives of the Peregrine Falcon over the past years; it was surprising to see these videos circulating.

Then, while attempting to track down a copy of the bird vote ballot, someone from the Chicago Board of Elections sent a Chicago Tribune column titled “Bird-Brained Choices an Insult to True Chicago Denizens” by John Kass. This article, which was printed one day after O’Brien’s article, tries to poke fun at and discredit the vote, going so far as to call it a “scam.”

Kass’s main argument seemed to be that none of the birds on the ballot are true Chicago birds. Kass wrote: “[Peregrine] Falcons are beautiful birds, but when you think Chicago, you don’t think falcons.”

Kass’s article was meant to be satiric, but it turns out others shared the sentiments expressed in his column. In the book The Peregrine Returns, written by the director of the Chicago Peregrine Program, Mary Hennen, a section titled “Differing Opinions” navigates why some people were against the re- introduction of Peregrine Falcons and discussed challenges the falcons still faced. The reasoning included fears the falcons would wipe out other bird species and concerns imprinting urban environments on Peregrine Falcons would prevent them from using historic cliffs.

I reached out directly to Mary to get her thoughts on whether the recent videos that have been circulating has caused a shift in perspective on Peregrine Falcons over the past few years. Mary informed me she had written about this exact thing on the Chicago Peregrine Program’s Facebook page and provided me with the post. The specific event Mary was writing about had to do with a female peregrine that was nested on a ledge closer to street level and had a fledgling getting ready for their first flight by walking around the nest and flapping their wings.

I think her thoughts are summarized well by these few sentences: “Interactions between peregrines and humans are rare. That having a sidewalk closed for a few days is a small price to pay for having a remarkable species like peregrines living in the world with us. And—that a protective mama is just that and no more, a protective parent and not someone out to hurt people just for fun.” In response to my question about a shifting perspective, Mary said, “No, I don’t really think it changes people’s perspective much. Most people who know what a peregrine is will understand the situation. Those who just react to the drama will forget about the birds once the next sensationalized story comes along.”

Where Are We Now?

The Chicago Peregrine Program works hard year-round to continue to monitor and research Peregrine Falcons. Their Facebook page is extensive and kept up to date. It’s a great resource for what is going on with peregrines in the city right now. In The Peregrine Returns Mary writes, “We must remain a liaison for the peregrine to the public. I believe the second-greatest need is education.” Social media has played a big role in educating people, but also in providing the ability to share pertinent information to a large audience. The Chicago Peregrine Program’s Facebook page is followed by people in over fifty countries.

North Pond, April 13, 2022. Photo by Geoff Williamson.

Mary hopes the success of the Peregrine Falcons can be a launching pad for other conservation issues, such as habitat change and global warming. Both Nature Chicago and the Chicago Department of Environment were shut down, which Mary surmised was part of the reason why the bird vote never happened again and didn’t follow the four year cycle the Chicago Department of Environment was hoping for. Suzanne explained that much of the Chicago Department of Environment was taken over by the Chicago Park District. But Mayor Brandon Johnson’s 2024 budget, passed by city council, provides funding to reopen the Department of Environment, so a new bird vote could be on the horizon.

It will be interesting to see what Chicago has in store, not only for Peregrine Falcons, but for all birds. Many people are working to make this city more bird friendly, and those initiatives make the city more nature focused. With the Department of Environment being reinstated, hopefully these initiatives can grow and become more widespread. It’s hard to know what impact a reinstated Department will have. Possibly, it can become the catalyst for launching more conservation efforts, like Mary hopes.

If nothing else, the Peregrine Falcon can teach us to bet on the underdog. It’s hard to imagine the anxiety and skepticism that surrounded the first hack box in Chicago. Did people think the peregrines in that box were going to help change the course of their population for the foreseeable future? Someone among them had to believe it was going to work, and it’s amazing how well it did. It provides hope for moving forward and what we can do as a city and for the next necessary conservation effort.

Mary writes in The Peregrine Returns, “If everyone does a small amount of work towards conserving the environment, collectively, we can make a great difference. The Chicago Peregrine Program is a wide and diverse group, all volunteers with a united interest and concern for peregrines. I believe that has been the key to our success; whatever we do, we must find a way to continue our role as peregrine Ambassadors.” Hopefully we can take that sentiment and practice into the new year and years beyond and make great, great changes.