Baby Peregrine Falcon at Chicago Retirement Home

This cute baby peregrine falcon - named Clare by local residents - has been living on Chicago's Gold Coast in a nest on a 53rd-story ledge of The Clare retirement home. Today it was banded/tagged and its blood drawn for genetic testing.  http://abclocal.go.com/wls/story?section=news/local&id=8697518

 Photo by Betty Bergstrom

More info. on peregrine falcons:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peregrine_Falcon

The Peregrine Falcon has been a symbol of speed and power for centuries. A favourite of the ancient Egyptians and Chinese who practised falconry as long ago as 2000 BC, it is one of the swiftest and deadliest of the birds of prey known for swooping on its prey at speeds of up to 300 km/h. Sadly its biological strengths have not protected it from near extinction. Peregrine Falcons, like other birds of prey, are relatively long lived, with low reproductive rates and low population density. These factors, combined with the fact that they are at the top of the food chain and limited by their prey, make them particularly vulnerable to human impact.