Hello 'Beakonce': Your Chance To Name The Cuomo Brood Is Finally Here

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — Schoolchildren across the Hudson Valley came up with a list of baby names — now it's our turn to pick the very best names for the peregrine falcon chicks high atop the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge.

The New York State Thruway Authority has officially opened the vote to name the four peregrine falcon chicks that recently hatched in a nest box on the bridge. Third- to sixth-graders across Rockland and Westchester counties submitted more than 100 names as part of an expanded falcon naming contest conducted in partnership with Veolia. A panel of judges then selected 10 finalists.

Now, our votes can be cast on the bridge’s website, starting today until 5 p.m. on May 22.

And the nominees are — drum roll please ...

• Amelia Birdelia
• Beakonce
• Brooklyn
• Coco Puff
• Empire
• Estrella
• Freedom
• Jet
• Millenium Falcon
• Taylor Swoop

The four winning names will be revealed on the Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge and Thruway Authority social media accounts on Thursday, May 23.

A representative of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation banded the falcon siblings this past Monday. Three of the four chicks are female. The four chicks are expected to fledge, or leave, the nest box in the coming weeks.

In mid-April, Veolia and the Thruway Authority solicited names from the elementary school students across the region. At the time, there were four eggs in the bridge’s nest box located some 400 feet above the Hudson River. Three eggs hatched on Earth Day, April 22, and the last falcon was born two days later on April 24.

Area students submitted more than 100 names, some referencing pop culture, local history, regional heritage, area landmarks and locations, the Hudson River, and the bridge itself.

Judges from the Thruway Authority, Veolia, United Way of Westchester and Putnam, and Rockland BOCES whittled the list down to the top 10.

The judges included New York State Thruway Authority Chief of Staff Nicole Leblond, Veolia Vice President of Communications Steve Goudsmith, United Way of Westchester and Putnam CEO Tom Gabriel and Rockland BOCES Director of Communications Scott Salotto.

In addition to seeing the bridge lit in their school colors, each winning class will meet with a certified falconer.

Those interested can watch the bridge falcons in their nest box on the bridge’s Falcon Cam before they leave home. As the nestlings age, they are left alone for longer periods of time to learn how to hunt and survive on their own until they depart the nest after approximately 40 days. When young falcons mature, they often migrate great distances to establish nests and raise their own family. Peregrines primarily hunt other birds, such as pigeons and ducks, and can exceed 200 mph during their dives.

Nest boxes have supported New York’s falcon population in recent decades, providing shelter and high vantage points from which the peregrines can search for food. In fact, dozens of chicks hatched at the Tappan Zee Bridge over the decades before it was replaced by the new bridge.