Second of four peregrine falcon chicks in Singapore found dead
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One of the four chicks by Singapore's only known pair of peregrine falcons at a vet check at the Centre for Wildlife Rehabilitation on April 8 after it was found on the ground.
ST PHOTO: LIM YAOHUI
SINGAPORE – Another chick by Singapore’s only known pair of peregrine falcons was found dead on April 16.
It is the second of their brood of four chicks to have died, following the death of a first fledgling on April 4, said Dr Malcolm Soh, principal researcher at the National Parks Board’s (NParks) wildlife management research branch.
In response to queries from The Straits Times on April 22, Dr Soh said the chick was found dead on the ground in the Central Business District on the morning of April 16, with the cause of death unknown.
“NParks will continue to monitor the remaining two fledglings through sightings in the area, as well as the Bluetooth tracker attached to one of them,” said Dr Soh.
Talk of the chick’s death surfaced on the Singapore Wildlife Sightings Facebook group on April 22 after a member of the group shared that he had not been able to confirm sight of one of the fledglings after a three-day search.
The four chicks – the second brood on record from the breeding pair of falcons – were residing at OCBC Centre in Chulia Street, where they hatched in late February before departing their nest.
Their early days were documented on a 24-hour YouTube live stream, which was launched in early March, with the public able to observe the birds as they grew and attempted practice flights.
On April 4, one of the falcon chicks was found dead on the ground in the Central Business District, with the cause of death still unknown.
Three days later, another chick was rescued by NParks after it was found on the ground by a member of the public.
It was released the next day after the juvenile bird was assessed to be in good health by veterinarians and fitted with a Bluetooth tag to allow the researchers to track its location.
The live stream ended on April 10 after the three surviving chicks fledged.
The last chick to take flight was seen at its nesting grounds at OCBC Centre at 6.45am on April 8 before likely flying off later that morning, Dr Soh had earlier said.
The public is advised to contact NParks’ Animal Response Centre on 1800-476-1600 if any of the fledglings are seen on the ground.
