Blue Ridge Raptors Educational Programs Inc
Preservation through education
We just added a new member to the cast. Hunter is a male Eastern Screech Owl. If you’ve read the post on Goliath, you’ll know that Eastern Screechers come in two color versions or morphs: gray and red. Hunter is a Red Morph. The color is a superficial difference like skin color in people. It is not an indication of …
Buteo platypterus – The Broad-Winged Hawk. It is a real privilege to have any of our birds to show, but it’s especially exciting to have Journey join the crew. Red-tailed and Red-shoulder hawks tend to get spotted on a regular basis, but Broad-winged hawks prefer to live in large expanses of forest so they aren’t as commonly seen as our …
Tyto alba – The Common Barn Owl There’s something ironic about calling the Barn Owl “Common.” After all, Tyto alba is the only owl in the family Tytonidae that lives in North America. All of our other owls are Strygiform owls or “typical” owls. She was hatched at the Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw, South Carolina. Luna replaces …
Megascops asio – Eastern Screech Owl This is our smallest full-time resident owl species in Georgia. Screech Owls only stand about 4 to 6 inches tall as adults. They come in two color morphs: gray and red or rufous. Goliath is a gray morph. The color is not an indicator of sex. They are not different species. The gray or …
Strix varia – Barred Owl
Bubo virginianus – Great Horned Owl
The Great Horned Owl is the largest species of owl that lives in Georgia. There are native breeding populations of Great Horned Owls in every state but Hawaii! Zeus is one of the founding members of our group of education raptors. Like so many of our rescued birds of prey, he was struck by a car. The accident left Zeus with a spine injury that has affected his ability to steer and stop when he flies. This year marks his 17th year in the education business. On more than one occasion, we have had young parents tell us they first met Zeus on a school field trip and now they are bringing their children to see him! A wise old owl indeed.
Buteo jamacensis – Red Tail Hawk
The Red Tail Hawk is the most common and widespread species of hawk in North America. Sirocco was injured and brought into rehabilitation in 2002. Unfortunately, she lost sight in her left eye due to an infection and was deemed non-releasable. Sirocco has helped teach thousands of people about raptors over the years.