Several peregrine falcon chicks briefly took up residence in the 117 Huntington Avenue lobby Thursday afternoon with a small crowd of awed onlookers before being sent back up to their parents atop the skyscraper.

“There were three babies in the nest up here,” said Andrew Vitz, a ornithologist with MassWildlife, before being cut off by the suddenly squawking, flapping chick in his hands. “This is one of the females. So we went up and brought them down, and as you can see, we’ve got a band on each of their legs so they can be identified.”

Thursday’s event, at a building known as a nesting spot for the raptors, was one of MassWildlife’s occasional banding events for species like the falcons and bald eagles. The bands help the state monitor the movements, lifespan and injury recovery of the birds, which are categorized as  a species of special concern under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.

The monitoring program has been in place since the peregrine falcons were reintroduced to Massachusetts in the 1980’s, Vitz said. The birds were originally wiped out of the state due to the widespread use of the chemical DDT around 1955, according to MassWildlife, then the Eastern U.S. in 1966.

The falcons, which are able to dive at up to 240 miles per hour and the fastest bird on earth, have thrived nesting on skyscrapers and taller structures in urban areas since their reintroduction, Vitz said.

“We have three times as many nesting peregrines today as we ever did in the past,” said Vitz. “It really is quite an excellent success story for wildlife. And they’re doing best right here in Boston.”

The falcons are one of 432 species on the state endangered species list, said Endangered Species Program Assistant Director Eve Schluter. The birds have moved from threatened to special concern in recent years, Schluter continued, and hopefully will be able to come off the list someday.

A number of people and small class of children eagerly watched the wildlife staff holding the fluffy young birds, asking questions about their habitats and characteristics. Vitz noted the importance of seeing people “so energetic about wildlife and conservation.”

“It’s a cool event, and I got to see some cute little falcons,” said Douglas White, who came down from working on the thirteenth floor when he heard about the animals. “I think it shows the importance of conserving species like the peregrines.”