Resident Raptors

Current Raptor Residents - Click below to see photos, descriptions and personal and natural history of the raptors currently living at CRC.

Owls Barn Owl Barred Owl Burrowing Owl Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Long-eared Owl Northern Pygmy Owl Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Spotted Owl Short-eared Owl Snowy Owl Western Screech Owl   Vulture Turkey Vulture   Eagles Bald Eagle Golden Eagle   Osprey Osprey

Hawks Cooper's Hawk Ferruginous Hawk Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Rough-legged Hawk Sharp-shinned Hawk Swainson's Hawk   Corvids American Crow Raven   Falcons American Kestrel Merlin Gyrfalcon Peregrine Falcon Prairie Falcon   Kites White-Tailed Kites

History - For thousands of years, humans have looked on raptors variously as partners in hunting (the sport of falconry) or as villains ('varmints') poaching our chosen prey species. We now have the wisdom to view raptors as indicator species for the health of our shared world, as well as models of grace and beauty, speed, fierceness, fidelity, and parenting. We study their hearing and eyesight, and try to unravel the mystery of migration, from where they go, to why, and how they find their way.

Handling - Raptors' formidable defenses make them a challenge to handle.  Their specialized dietary requirements do not permit adequate substitutes for a whole prey diet, which can be difficult and expensive to obtain, or space- and time-consuming to raise.  For any bird that makes its living on the wing, perfect muscle and feather condition is critical.  Caging must promote this through size and materials.  For raptors, whose powerful distance vision can fail to see wire as a barrier, vertical barring has been found to be the best solution.  This vertical barring also helps prevent the facial, foot or feather problems associated with attempts to cling to, climb or go through wire. Special perches, good drainage and ventilation, a natural dirt and plant flooring or a deep layer of pea gravel are also important to prevent the foot and disease problems which are common to raptors in captivity. Privacy is essential for minimizing stress and preventing excessive socialization to people. Large cages are critical (and required by federal permit conditions) for pre-release conditioning of these consummate athletes or they will not survive post-release.

References for the Descriptions

on the Raptor Pages