Return to the Wild: A hospital for birds of prey in the Hills O’ Brown County, Indiana

Red-tailed Hawk

kcollins — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:20:44 +0000

Test flight

RTTW’s secretary Dom launches a Red-tailed hawk on a test flight to see if it’s time to be released. The creance (leash) keeps the bird from flying away. Once we’re sure everything’s ok, the bird is returned to the wild!

Baby Screech Owls

kcollins — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 13:10:45 +0000

Baby Eastern Screech Owls

These two nestlings are Eastern Screech Owls. The tree they were nesting in was cut down. Their 3 siblings sadly died from the accident, but these two are doing well and will be released in the fall.

Barn Owl

kcollins — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:59:30 +0000

Barn Owl

RTTW welcomes its newest resident, a beautiful representative of the species Tyto alba pratincola, the North American barn owl. Barn owls were once common in North America, but they need winter protection. With so many barns and other rural structures being razed for land development, their numbers have decreased dramatically in the Midwest. This owl needs a name, and we’re happy to consider your suggestions!

Mowgli, Great Horned Owl

kcollins — Fri, 02 Jul 2010 12:40:23 +0000

Mowgli, Great Horned Owl

Mowgli is a Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) who came to RTTW as a young bird which had imprinted on humans. She is not releasable because in the wild she will seek out a human and not an owl for a mate. Mowgli greets visitors with a hearty owl hoot, and is doing very well at presentations. At 250 lbs of pressure per square inch, her talons are serious weapons. In the wild, Great Horned Owls are one of the only predators of skunks. Her “ears” are actually on the side of her head, and not those tufts on top.

Taki, Eurasian Eagle Owl

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:11:19 +0000

Bubo bubo
This beautiful owl is a member of the largest owl species on earth! She is 30 inches long and weighs nearly 7 pounds (compared to our bald ealge that weighs about nine pounds!). She was captive bred for education. Her species hails from continental Eurasia. This photo was taken when she was only three months old, and already weighed five pounds. She is VERY vocal, singing at night a simple ooooHOOooo.

Abby, Harris’ Hawk

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Parabuteo unicinctus
Abby is a retired falconry bird. She is unable to hunt because of a foot injury. She is a large girl, weighing in at 38 oz., and her favorite food is gutted quail. A favorite of falconer’s, they are a great hunting partner as they are one of the few raptor species that will hunt in cooperation with other Harris hawks in the wild. A large female will sit waiting at the end of a valley while a few smaller, more agile males will chase toward her.

Big Red, Red-tailed Hawk

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:08:23 +0000

Buteo jamaicensis
Also known as the Gentle Giant, this four pounder is our most gentle bird. In addition to being an education bird and foster mother, she is also a grand stable mate: we often place our most nervous red-tailed patients with her for calming and reassurance. As a youngster she was hit by a truck in 1996, and despite three surgeries, lost her left eye.

Bailey, Red-tailed Hawk

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:08:01 +0000

Buteo jamaicensis
Bailey has been with us since she was about eight weeks old. She suffered a broken wing that healed badly at the elbow while still in the nest. She was found starving to death beneath the nest and has not been hungry since! She weighs 3 1/2 pounds, is a workhorse of our Indiana Raptors program, and enjoys searching the skies for soaring wild birds of prey.

Gumbo, Rough-legged Hawk

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:07:29 +0000

Buteo lagopus
This buoyant species is seen in the US only during winter when they migrate to warmer climes from their breeding territory in the sub-arctic tundra. They are pan arctic in range and are named for being booted, a term for having feathers all the way down the leg to the top of the toes (an anatomical feature that prevents heat loss in cold habitats). In 1996, Gumbo was shot in the right wing in northern Indiana. Sadly, her mate waited three months for her return to the field where the tragic incident occurred. Finally, the change in season forced him to migrate north. Gumbo is large for her species, weighing in at three pounds.

Zulu, African Augur Buzzard

Mike Madison — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:06:58 +0000

Buteo rufofuscus augur
By far our most vocal bird, Zulu charms each audience with her species contact call. This red-tailed hawk differs from our North American version by having much larger wings that enable augurs to navigate the thin-aired habitat of the east African mountain ranges (as high as 17,000 feet!) with ease and grace.

Zulu is on permanent loan to us from the World Bird Sanctuary in St. Louis. In a US led sting operation, her parents were confiscated from bird smugglers in South America. She and her three siblings made up the first brood of this species ever hatched on this continent. At just over three pounds she is handful!