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Capitol Falcon Chick Named for Fallen Omaha Police Officer

LINCOLN – Honoring a fallen Omaha police officer, the public chose the name “Orozco” for the peregrine falcon chick raised in a nest box at the Nebraska Capitol.

The name was revealed in a ceremony outside the Capitol on June 26. Officer Kerrie Orozco, 29, was killed in the line of duty on May 30.

A contest was held this month to name the falcon. The public submitted online name suggestions. A list of finalists was selected by a committee and the public voted to determine a winner. A total of 507 initial submissions and 1,560 votes were cast during the contest.

The four people who suggested the winning name were recognized at the ceremony, as well. State Sen. Kate Bolz, Amanda Horner and Rebecca McCoy, all of Lincoln, as well as Matt Manhart of the Omaha Police Department, each received a framed certificate and a one-year subscription to NEBRASKAland Magazine.

The chick, which hatched on May 10 from the nest box on the 18th floor of the Capitol, has fledged and has been exploring the area surrounding the Capitol ever since. The falcon pair which raised the chick has nested at the Capitol since 2005. Tens of thousands of people from around the world have watched the chick hatch, grow and fledge on the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission’s popular FalconCam at OutdoorNebraska.org.

The Capitol’s peregrine falcons have successfully produced 22 offspring over the past 11 years. Five of them have nested elsewhere as adults: two in Omaha, two in Topeka, Kan., and one in Woodlands, Texas.

About Jerry Kane

Jerry Kane is the news manager with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission. He can be contacted at jerry.kane@nebraska.gov or 402-471-5008.

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