The peregrine falcon chick that recently hatched in a nesting box on the roof of North Quad has a large wingspan to live up to a new name: Big Flappo Jr.
The winning name was selected from dozens of suggestions through a recent online naming contest after the U-M community was invited to participate.
The original name Big Flappo, one of U-M’s unofficial campus mascots, is a fan favorite red-tailed hawk whose presence in Ann Arbor over the years has made it a minor celebrity.
A campaign was launched on social media at the beginning of the naming contest by members of the U-M community to name the peregrine falcon chick after Big Flappo, resulting in the winning name of Big Flappo Jr.
This is the sixth year the university has hosted an online naming contest for falcon chicks.
The falcon chick, now named Big Flappo Jr., hatched in early May and was banded in early June. The bands help the Michigan Department of Natural Resources identify the falcon’s pedigree after it has flown away to its new home.
The DNR has advised the public that if they come across the chick on the ground — which happens from time to time when they are learning to fly — to contact the DNR at 989-313-0283. The DNR would have a certified rehabilitator collect the chick, rehabilitate it if needed, then reintroduce it back to the North Quad nest so it can continue to learn life skills from its parents.
The peregrine falcon has been removed from the federal endangered species list but remains an endangered species in Michigan. A male falcon is about the size of a crow. Females are slightly larger.
