One of Buffalo’s most beloved critters has made his final flight.
Ojibwa, a peregrine falcon who has spent many years perched atop what is now Statler City on Niagara Square, will never fly again as the result of a severe wing injury.
Barbara Haney, the SPCA's wildlife director, tells WBFO she can only surmise what caused the injury.
“It is the time when males defend their territory, so we can guess that maybe he got into a little scuffle with a male. He is getting older and just got off course and slammed into something. It’s highly unusual that a bird like this peregrine falcon would go off-course on its own,” said Haney.
Haney said Ojibwa will be nursed back to health and will serve his remaining years as an educator of sorts.
“He’ll be an ambassador of his species, he’ll be an educational animal. Hopefully he can get into a place where they can breed him, but he will no longer fly,” Haney said.
A rare breed, the peregrine palcon was taken off the endangered species list 25 years ago. Ojibwa has helped his species make a comeback, fathering 29 falcons in his 12 years.
Buffalo is known to be a major migratory root for an abundance of birds due to its location by the waterfront.
“We have a handful of pairs of peregrine falcons in the Buffalo area and that’s quite recently that we acquired those peregrines," Haney said. "They are special, but they are making a comeback, and we want to help them continue that success.”
