University of Michigan's newest Peregrine falcons now have official names
The latest Peregrine falcon chicks to hatch at the University of Michigan's Ann Arbor campus have their official names.
The two chicks – one female and one male – will be known as Victoria and Valiant, according to
The chicks hatched in May from a nesting box on top of the North Quad. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources then worked with The University Record and the U-M community to help name the chicks.
More than 1,400 suggestions were submitted online, including several suggestions for Victor or Victoria. There was also a noticeable trend in suggested names inspired by the 2016 film "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."
By tradition, the names given to Peregrine falcons hatched on campus have connections to the university or the Ann Arbor region.
Peregrine falcons were nearly extinct, but last summer there were 30 nests confirmed across the state. The birds are now listed as threatened rather than endangered.
Amid that repopulation, Peregrine falcons started to be noticed in southeast Michigan in the early 2000s, including a pair that decided to nest in Burton Tower. Since that turned out not to be an ideal spot for the falcons, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources created other nesting sites in the area.
The one on North Quad is now the only nesting site on campus.
