FOUR EGGS INCUBATING, BUT WHICH FALCON IS WHICH?
We've been watching Fort Wayne's falcons incubate their 4 beautiful eggs, which should begin hatching around April 22. Both falcon parents take turns incubating. Here's a handy guide to knowing who's on the nest:
First, female peregrines are larger than males, so Moxie will be the larger bird. That works if they're both together, but what if - as often happens - you only see one bird at a time? Well, the second way to tell Moxie and Jamie apart is to look at the small strip of feathers between their eyes, right above the yellow part of the beak (the yellow part is called the "cere"). Moxie, the female, has a faint white stripe of feathers that runs between her eyes, right above her cere. Jamie does not have this. Third, the tops of females' heads are flatter than males'. Finally, one of the distinguishing characteristics of peregrine falcons is their head coloring. Peregrines look like they're wearing a "hood," with sideburns. Moxie's hood is slate gray; Jamie's is closer to black.
