MGE's 2025 Peregrine Falcon Chicks' Names Inspired by Toppings for Wisconsin Food Favorite

Madison, Wis., May 30, 2025—Madison Gas and Electric (MGE) today announced the names of the three peregrine falcons that hatched in the nesting box at its downtown Madison Blount Generating Station earlier this month.  

After previous years of naming the falcons after iconic Wisconsin foods, including popular UW-Madison Babcock ice cream flavors and some of Wisconsin's most notable varieties of cheese, we decided to go with another local food favorite this year—one that's usually made with cheese and loved by most Wisconsinites. The chicks are named after popular pizza toppings. MGE employees voted on the names and Olive, Basil and Mozzarella were the top vote getters from a list of popular pizza toppings.

Wisconsin peregrine falcon expert Greg Septon banded the chicks at Blount this morning. The bands allow experts to track the birds throughout their lifetimes.

Olive, a female, was named for black and green olives, which pizza lovers tend to feel strongly about one way or the other–they either love them or don't like them on their pizza at all. They're almost always a standard topping on a "supreme" or "deluxe" pizza. Some consider olives to be one of the most underrated pizza toppings. 

Basil, a male, was named for one of the most popular herbs in the world and a popular pizza topping. Basil is a staple on Margherita pizzas. One of the main benefits of basil on pizza is its incredible aroma, which enhances the taste of any pizza. 

Mozzarella, a female, was named for the most popular cheese used on pizzas. Extra cheese ranks toward the top of the pizza toppings list in most surveys and being cheese, mozzarella is always a favorite pizza topping in Wisconsin. 

Trudy, the female falcon, laid four eggs in April. This is the 11th year Trudy and her mate, Melvin, have returned together and laid their eggs in the MGE nesting box. One egg did not hatch. The hatch rate over the past 35 years for Wisconsin's peregrine falcons is about 75%, so this is a normal result. The chicks will soon learn how to fly and eventually depart the nesting box. 

With the newest additions to the MGE family, 61 falcon chicks have now hatched at Blount since 2009, when the birds first began nesting at the power plant. MGE installed the nesting box in 1999. Falcons prefer power plants and other tall buildings as nesting sites. 

The peregrine falcon is listed as endangered in Wisconsin. Due to pesticide use in the 1960s, peregrines were declared extinct in the state. Falcons were reintroduced in the 1980s and have made a slow, steady comeback due to statewide efforts and nesting boxes like the one at Blount. Learn more about MGE's falcons.  

About MGE 

MGE generates and distributes electricity to 167,000 customers in Dane County, Wis., and purchases and distributes natural gas to 178,000 customers in seven south-central and western Wisconsin counties. MGE's parent company is MGE Energy, Inc. The company's roots in the Madison area date back more than 150 years.