First of four Salisbury Cathedral Peregrine chicks hatches
The name theme has yet to be decided
Last updated 25th Apr 2023
The first of four Peregrine eggs has hatched at Salisbury Cathedral this morning (Tuesday 25th April).
The chick was spotted around 11:19am, tucked under the mother.
Hatching will have been an exhaustive process - the chicks spend around 72 hours of breaking out of their eggs, using a hard, pointed area on their beak known as the “egg tooth”.
When a chick is ready to hatch a special neck muscle contracts, causing its head to snap upwards and bringing the egg tooth into contact with the shell, causing it to crack.
Bit by bit the chick chips at the shell, making sounds to let the parent know it is on its way.
The remaining three eggs are expected to hatch later this week.
Last year, four chicks hatched and were named after the Queen's pet dogs. Cathedral officials are discussing a name theme for this year.
Follow the hatching process on Salisbury Cathedral’s Nestbox livestream.