PHOTOS: 3 Falcon Chicks Hatch Atop Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge

BROOKLYN, NY — Three peregrine falcon chicks have hatched in a nest built at the top of the nearly 700-foot Brooklyn tower of the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge, officials said.

The chicks hatched in early May in a specially built nesting box atop the bridge, according to the MTA.

On May 24, research scientist Chris Nadareski, of the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, climbed to the top of the Brooklyn tower to put identifying bands on the falcon chicks.

Those bands will help wildlife experts keep track of the number of peregrines in the city and identify them in case they become sick or injured, officials said.

Peregrine falcons were nearly wiped out by the 1960s as a result of pesticides in their food supply, and remain on the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation endangered birds list, officials said.

Urban falcons like to nest atop bridges, church steeples and high-rise buildings because they provide an excellent vantage point for hunting prey, including pigeons and small birds.

The MTA provides a nesting box for the falcons at each of the bridges, but otherwise leaves the birds alone, especially during nesting season. Falcons mate for life and generally return to the same nesting spot, officials said.

The MTA has been part of the state nesting program since 1983.