HawkQuest - Learning Center: Raptors of HawkQuest

Raptors of HawkQuest

HawkQuest has thirty-five different raptors, representing twenty-one different species:

Eagles:

three Bald Eagles
a Golden Eagle

Owls:

three Barn Owls
an Eastern Screech Owl
a Eurasian Eagle Owl
two Great Horned Owls
a Short-eared Owl
a Spectacled Owl
a Barred owl

Falcons:

four American Kestrels
an Aplomado Falcon
three Peregrine Falcons

Hawks:

a Ferruginous Hawk
a Red-tailed Hawk
a Rough-legged Hawk
a Swainson's Hawk
seven Harris' Hawks

Vulture:

a Turkey Vulture

All of the raptors at HawkQuest are non-releasable due to either imprinting or injuries.

Adopt a HawkQuest Raptor! Use these links to learn about the Adopt-A-Raptor Programs and to obtain application forms:
HawkQuest Adopt-A-Raptor Program (for individuals)	HawkQuest School Sponsorship Adopt-A-Raptor Program (for schools or corporations)

(Click on any raptor photo for a larger view)

Eagles

We have four eagles at Hawk Quest; three Bald Eagles and one Golden Eagle. They are awesome representatives for their species at our events. At booths the visitors often get their picture taken with them. What an awesome experience to have your picture taken with your National Symbol! We in Colorado, are also very fortunate to have both species living and nesting here. They are seen often all over the State.

This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is a female born in the spring of 1999. She was received from a rehabilitation facility in the State of Washington and is an imprint.
Typical length: 31 inches, typical wingspan: 80 inches.

This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is an Alaskan female born in 2005. On Christmas 2006 she arrived at Bird TLC (a rehab center in Anchorage, Alaska) after having impaled her left wing on a branch. Has damage to the patagium that does not allow her to extend her left wing fully. She was received at HawkQuest from Bird TLC in August 2007.

This Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) is an Alaskan female born in the spring of 2009. She was found with an eye injury in Kodiak NWR in March 2010 and taken to Bird TLC in Anchorage Alaska for rehabilitation. Because of the loss of sight in one eye and her young age, it was determined she was not a candidate for release. HawkQuest received this bird in November 2010.

This Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) is a male born in 1988. HawkQuest received him from a rehabilitation facility in Idaho. He is an imprint and, therefore, not releasable.
Typical length: 30 inches, typical wingspan: 79 inches.

Vulture

Turkey Vultures are very interesting animals to say the least. They are seen often soaring the skies over Colorado during the warm months. They are so very important to our ecology, reducing the problem of desease by cleaning out the dead carcases. We have a Turkey Vulture at Hawk Quest, and we bring to special events and by request.

This Turkey Vulture (Cathartes aura) is a female, born in spring 2010. She was brought to Milford Nature Center in Junction City Kansas as an imprinted nestling (someone had destroyed the nest). HawkQuest received this bird from MNC in September 2010.
Typical length: 27 inches, typical wingspan: 72 inches.

Falcons

There are five species of falcons that are native to Colorado, and at Hawk Quest we have two; the American Kestrel (we have three) and the Peregrine Falcon (also three). At Hawk Quest we also have a falcon that is extremely endangered, the Aplomado Falcon. All together, we have seven. In Colorado the other three species of falcons are the Prairie Falcon, the Merlin. There is another species of falcon in the U.S. that will rarely visit our state, and is considered to be the largest falcon in the world, the Gyrfalcon.

This American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a male that was born in the spring of 2001. He was injured and deemed non-releasable. He was received at HawkQuest from the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program (CSU) .
Typical length: 9 inches, typical wingspan: 20 inches.

This American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a male, born in the spring of 2014. He is an imprint with a tremendous personality.
Typical length: 9 inches, typical wingspan: 20 inches.

This American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is a female, born in the spring of 2018. She was raised in captivity when her nest was blwon down in a storm, and is an imprint. She came to Hawk Quest in 2019./a>.
Typical length: 9 inches, typical wingspan: 20 inches.

This male Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was acquired in 2017 from a breeder.
Typical length: 13 inches, typical wingspan: 39 inches.

This female Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) was born in 2001. HawkQuest acquired her in 2014 from a breeder.
Typical length: 16 inches, typical wingspan: 41 inches.

Owls

Owls fit into a separate order of birds of prey known as "Strigiformes". They are known for being night-time birds but of course not all of them are; there are day time owls and ourmore common Great Horned owl is known to be corpuscular which means they hunt at dusk and dawn. There are approximately 59 species of owls in the world, and we have 19 of them represented in the United States. We are fortunate to have 15 species of owls that make their home in Colorado. At HawkQuest we have six species of owls, to include two that are not native to the U.S. at all! So all together we have nine owls at Hawk Quest that represent their kind at our various events.

This Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a female that was bred in captivity at the World Bird Sanctuary. in Valley Park, MO. She was born in February 2002.
Typical length: 16 inches, typical wingspan: 42 inches.

This Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a male, age unknown. HawkQuest acquired him in 2012 from a rehab center in Albuquerque, NM. He was hit by a car resulting in a left wing injury.
Typical length: 16 inches, typical wingspan: 42 inches.

This Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a female. She was born in 2017. She was rescued from a nest and was discovered with a swollen leg that probably happened when bit by a spider. She recovered at the Milford Nature Center in Junction City, Kansas and came to HawkQuest in 2019. She is doing lectures and other programs regularly now.
Typical length: 21 inches, typical wingspan: 42 inches.

This Eastern Screech Owl, gray phase, (Megascops asio) is a female, age unknown. HawkQuest acquired her in 2012 from a rehab center in Albuquerque, NM. She has an injured right wing.
Typical length: 8 inches, typical wingspan: 21 inches, typical weight: 7 oz.

This Eurasian Eagle Owl (Bubo bubo) is a male. He was born in April of 1999 and was hatched at the Oklahoma City Zoo for educational purposes.
Typical length: 25 inches, typical wingspan: 42 inches.

This Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is a female. She was injured and has a damaged right wing. She came to HawkQuest from a rehabilitation center in Cody, Wyoming.
Typical length: 22 inches, typical wingspan: 44 inches.

This Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) is a male. He has permanent neurological damage to his right wing from flying into a power line. He came to HawkQuest from Durango Wildlife Rehabilitation. He was born in 2002.
Weight 32 oz.

This Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a male, age unknown. HawkQuest acquired him in 2012 from a rehab center in Albuquerque, NM. He has an injured right wing.
Typical length: 13-16 inches, typical wingspan: 36-42 inches.

This Spectacled Owl (Pulsatrix perspicillata) is a male born in August of 2000. He was hatched at the Oklahoma City Zoo for educational purposes. His mother came from Guatemala and was one of two baby owls that were being pelted with rocks while in the nest by local children for entertainment. An American tourist attempted a rescue and brought both the owls back to the states where they were confiscated at the Texas border. Unable to return the owls to the original nesting site, customs officers transferred them to a rehab facility in Texas.
Typical length: 18 inches, typical wingspan: 30 inches.

Hawks

This Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis) is a male that was born in April of 2002. He was hatched at the World Bird Sanctuary for edcuational purposes. He came to Hawk Quest shortly after that.
Typical length: 23 inches, typical wingspan: 51 inches.

This Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a female that was born in the spring of 2000. She was received at HawkQuest from a falconer.
Typical length: 19 inches, typical wingspan: 49 inches.

This female Rough-legged Hawk (Buteo lagopus), age unknown, was admitted to Raptor Recovery Nebraska with a broken right wing due to a gunshot. She is non-releasable due to her injuries. HawkQuest received this bird from RRN in July 2009.
Typical length: 19-24 inches, typical wingspan: 48-56 inches.

This male Swainson's Hawk (Buteo swainsoni), age unknown, was admitted to Raptor Recovery Nebraska with an injury to his left wing. He is non-releasable due to his injuries. HawkQuest received this bird from RRN in July 2009.
Typical length: 19-22 inches, typical wingspan: 52 inches.

HawkQuest has 7 male and 2 female Harris' Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus).
Typical length: 20 inches, typical wingspan: 42 inches.
They include:

Young male Harris' Hawks.

Mature male Harris' Hawk.

Mature female Harris' Hawk.