This kestrel and her chicks nesting in a Prague window have become internet stars

A female bird of prey and its chicks have moved into a window box in a Prague panelák. If you have been following social media this past week, you have likely seen a video of a cute mother kestrel nesting with five eggs in a rectangular clay box and eating bits of meat from a large tweezers. This charming scene actually took place in a high-rise housing project in the Spořilov district of Prague.

The video, which originated on Facebook, has been copied to various animal-themed websites and viewed tens of millions of times. Some copies mistakenly refer to the birds as falcons, a similar bird of prey.

The mother kestrel took up residence at the beginning of May. The human family looking after the birds has named the mother Adelka.

Since the original video was posted toward the end of May, the eggs have hatched and four of the five newborns have survived. On June 6, the family said that the smallest of the baby birds passed away after one and a half days.

There has been some more drama as well. A storm filled the window box with water, and one of the babies was injured, but has so far survived. The baby was not moving, and the mother bird did not make an effort to save it. A man named Honza, who has been helping look after the birds, called a wildlife rescue service in Prague for advice.

They took the bird to the animal rescue station in Troja, where it was warmed up and finally regained consciousness enough to open its beak. The family has named this bird John Snow, after the Game of Thrones character who was resurrected. The gender of the baby birds has now been determined yet.

The newest photos show just three baby birds in the window box, and there has been no update on John Snow’s condition at the rescue center. Since the mother bird rejected him, it is unlikely that the baby will be returned to the mother. It may be raised at the rescue center instead.

The family hopes that rest of the birds will not face such dramatic events in the coming weeks.

People from all over the world are following the bird’s progress over Facebook and commenting on new photos.