Endangered Falcons delay bridge project

(WGEM) A pair of endangered birds are putting a bridge project on hold in Hannibal, Missouri.

Two peregrine falcons, one of the fastest animals alive, are nesting underneath the Mark Twain Bridge. Because of the discovery, the Missouri Department of Transportation is delaying its planned inspection of the bridge.

MoDOT officials said they’ll resume the inspection sometime in August, after bird conservationists said the chicks will have left the nest.

Bird conservationists said the peregrine falcon preys on other birds, sometimes flying over 200 miles per hour to catch prey. They said a bridge like the Mark Twain Bridge makes a perfect vantage point for them, and the falcons are known for often moving their nests, so they may not lay eggs there again in the future.

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