FOUR new arrivals sitting high on top of the South Tower of Salisbury Cathedral have now been ringed.

The chicks started hatching in March, with the final chick making itself known to the world on April 26.

Salisbury Cathedral provided an update on the young birds that have received huge attention from the community, with a spokesperson saying the sexes have also been checked as part of the ringing process.

The community will also be given the opportunity to get involved with the naming of the chicks.

A spokesperson said: “We can now confirm we have one female and three males! We would love to continue our tradition of giving the chicks names, so stay tuned for more details about how you can get involved.”

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Nigel Jones from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) weighed, ringed, and measured the birds and got a sample of their DNA yesterday (May 14).

A spokesperson added: “The orange ring on their right leg has a unique ID, so the BTO and fellow bird watchers can follow what happens when they are fully fledged and spotted in the wild elsewhere.

“This helps contribute to the long-term protection of the species.”

Ringing the popular birds allows experts to study how many young birds leave the nest and survive to become adults, as well as how many adults survive the stresses of breeding, migration and severe weather.

RSPB South Wilts said the sexes are estimates, based on weights, skull and leg bone lengths.

“These will be confirmed by the mouth swab DNA samples taken at the time,” a spokesperson said.

“The orange, plastic Darvic rings are always put on the left leg.

“A unique metal ring from the British BTO British Trust for Ornithology is always put on the right leg – in the UK. We hope to get some info on the ring IDs and weights from Granville, our peregrine expert.”

There have been reports of peregrines nesting at Salisbury Cathedral since 1864.

For nearly 90 years, these birds lived peacefully on the tower, until the use of harmful pesticides, and persecution, led to a lengthy absence.

Four chicks successfully fledged their nest box after a mated pair of peregrines nested at the site in 2014.

Since then, peregrines have hatched and fledged from the tower every year except for 2018, when a territorial battle between two females prevented laying.

Four eggs were laid last year, and all four fledged.

Keep an eye on the family by watching the live stream here.