Indy's Kinney the falcon dies

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) - The oldest and most productive peregrine falcon in the Midwest has died at 19-years-old.

Kinney was found dead Friday outside the 29th floor of Market Tower, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

DNR nongame bird biologist John Castrale said Kinney appeared to have suffered injuries consistent with colliding into the building. He was identified by his leg band.

"It's certainly unfortunate," Castrale said. "But the average age of a breeding peregrine is 6 to 7 years, so he's beaten the odds and lived a long, productive life."

In 1993, Kinney was hatched in captivity and released in Lexington, Ky., by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources. A year later he arrived in Indianapolis. Kinney fathered 61 young with two females starting back in 1995, according to DNR.

In recent years, the public was able to watch Kinney and his partner Kathy Q nesting on the 31st floor of Market Tower via webcam.

Kinney and Kathy Q had been together for 11 years. Castrale expects she will pair up with another male and continue to next on Market Tower.

"Hopefully the legacy of Kinney and his nest site will go on," he said.