Ambassador birds
Rockstar ambassadors leave their mark throughout TRC history
The Raptor Center (TRC) bid farewell to Maxime, a beloved bald eagle in their education program this May. Maxime and other non-releasable raptor ambassadors have left an enduring legacy, inspiring a million raptor enthusiasts.
Introducing TRC’s newest educational ambassador: Aura the turkey vulture makes her debut
During the summer of 2022, a kind person came across a white and fluffy young bird on the floor of their barn in Ohio. As the bird was obviously too young to care for itself, the woman took the youngster inside her home and began caring for it with the best intentions.
Raptor spotlight: Cricket
Sporting the gorgeous slate blue wings and solid deep cinnamon tail of male American kestrels, Cricket is a popular raptor ambassador at The Raptor Center. He joined the education team in 2021 after he was presumed to be “orphaned” and was raised by people with good intentions.
Raptor Spotlight: Alula the Red-Tailed Hawk
As clearly witnessed over the past few years with COVID-19 in people and highly pathogenic avian influenza in birds, diseases can cause a wide range of challenges and issues for humans and wildlife alike.
Raptor Spotlight: Samantha
Meet Samantha, a 30+ year old subarctic great horned owl that has been with The Raptor Center since 1992.
TRC honors the legacy of educational ambassador Artemis
In February, The Raptor Center (TRC) said goodbye to Artemis the peregrine falcon, one of its beloved educational ambassadors.
Raptor spotlight: Warner
Found on the ground with head trauma from an unknown source, Warner now has a permanent home with The Raptor Center as an educational ambassador.
Freedom's next adventure
Freedom the bald eagle came to The Raptor Center in perhaps the most dramatic way possible - but he's now about to begin his next big adventure at a New Jersey zoo.
What makes a raptor - Part 3, keen eyesight
The eyes of a raptor vary species to species to match their specific hunting and life style, but all species share the same trait of having extremely keen and powerful eyes.
What makes a raptor - Part 2, sharp talons
Raptor talons do more than just grab prey, and each species has unique adaptations to make it more successful