Winchester Cathedral's peregrine chicks have been given rings to identify them.

The two chicks have grown considerably and are now one month old.

They have been given orange rings, attached to the legs, to determine which is the male and female. Each ring has a different code to determine which is which.

The code XSC for the female and XNC for the male.

On Winchester Cathedral's website, Keith Betton, chair of Hampshire Ornithological Society, said: “The male is the smallest (as always in peregrines). Males are always smaller than females, and in later life that is a good thing because it means that they chase different sizes of prey and don’t compete for food with their chosen partner. Also, males can bring in small food items when the female is feeding tiny chicks.

“The ringing process is done under a Government licence and does not hurt the chicks although clearly it is a bit frightening to suddenly meet humans for the first (and hopefully only) time. It allows us to check the birds over, and also the tagging process allows us to identify these birds in future years when they settle down to nest. Winnie, being the great mother that she is, made plenty of noise and flew low showing off her talons, which are her main weapons. She has seen this ringing process about ten times before and now she settles down as soon as we have gone.”

READ MORE: Winchester Cathedral peregrines hatch two chicks in the same day

Mr Betton explained that the chicks were being well looked after. He said: “Both chicks were in very good shape and have been fed well. In a week or so Winnie and William will change strategy by dropping food into the gully and letting the chicks work out how to eat it themselves. They have also started to wander around the gully floor and that is important to build up strength in their legs. In two weeks you’ll see a lot of wing stretching too, followed by runs and jumps as they work out the idea of flying.”

It will soon be time for the chicks to attempt to fly for the fist time. Mr Betton said: “The first attempts at flying are due around 21 June, and that will be a risky time for them – as with any trainee pilot. The cathedral staff are ready to fetch either chick if it ends up stuck on the ground somewhere. There is already a Peregrine Recovery Box ready to transport any grounded chicks back to safety. Recent studies have shown that Peregrines born in cities and watched on webcams have a far higher chance of survival at this stage because in addition to Winnie and William there are several thousand humans watching over them and fretting!”

Winchester Cathedral are hosting a talk, by Mr Betton, about the peregrines on June 10, at 7pm over Zoom. Tickets can be booked by visiting the cathedral's website.

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