MGE Welcomes Olive, Mozzarella and Basil to the Family!
May 30, 2025—The 2025 MGE falcon chicks have names that celebrate one of Wisconsin’s favorite foods—pizza!
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 Generating Station on May 30. 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.
Watch the chicks on our livestream falcon cam as they continue to grow and begin fledging.
