Reston's two newest peregrine falcons die after collisions

By Robin A. Duska, Fairfax Master Naturalist

The same adult female peregrine falcon has nested at Reston Town Center since 2015. Photo by Mary Prochnow

Sad news: Both juvenile peregrine falcons that hatched in May and June and later left their nest atop a Reston Town Center building have died.

The first, a male, died June 11 after colliding with a building. The second, a female, suffered a broken leg in a separate building collision June 19 and was euthanized in July.

Neither collision was witnessed, so the exact circumstances remain unknown, according to Steve Potts, a retired raptor biologist who coordinates monitoring of the falcons with the building's management and the Center for Conservation Biology, which tracks Virginia's peregrine falcon population.

Peregrine falcons, the fastest animals on Earth, can reach speeds of more than 200 mph during high-speed hunting dives known as stoops.

The birds have nested in Reston since 2015, and the same adult female has raised 40 nestlings during that time. While some young falcons have been injured after leaving the nest and later recovered, only one other juvenile from the Reston nest is known to have died before this year.

Because of its relatively small population, the peregrine falcon is classified as a Tier I Species of Greatest Conservation Need (Critical Conservation Need) in the 2025 Virginia Wildlife Action Plan and is listed as state threatened by the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources.

Both juvenile birds will become part of the Smithsonian's Division of Birds collection.