Harris' Hawk

Family Accipitridae, Parabuteo unicinctus

They stand 18-23 inches tall and have a wingspan 3.5 feet wide. They are known as the bay-winged hawk due to the reddish-colored patches on their wings. They nest in cacti and hunt cooperatively with their family. In the wild 2-4 birds will exhibit a behavior called stacking. They will stack one on top of the other to see farther into the distance.

Name: Adam

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1983

Personality: Roger Holloway's, World Bird Sanctuary's Director of Interpretative Services, favorite bird, learns very quickly.

Name: Chester

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1982

Personality: He is very old, very smart, worked a media tour all over the United States

Name: Rifle

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1987

Personality: Was in the Library of Congress with the recent reenactment of Lewis and Clark Expedition. She has flown in many Renaissance fairs.

Name: Rodney

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1987

Personality: Very smart, Worked at Bush Gardens Tampa, Florida for 15 years and has been working at OWL since.

Name: Richie

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1986

Weight: 1 lb, 9.4 oz

Why is the bird here? WBS hatch, bred for education.

Personality: Very patient, quiet bird. He is very eager to fly and even more eager to enjoy the view from a comfortable tree branch.

What does this bird do in the show: Flew tandem with Rodney, another Harris' hawk for years. Also flew a falconer's walk in Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

Name of Bird: Solstice

Sex: Female

Hatched: June 21, 1993

Weight: 2 lbs, 4 oz

Why is the bird here? She was hatched at WBS and raised for education.

Personality: Gets very excited for shows. She is a great flier who can fly complex patterns.

What does this bird do in the show: Flight demonstration. She's a wonderful flier, capable of several flights without any help from trainers.

Name: Tequila

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1996

Weight: 2 lb, 4 oz

Why is the bird here? She was bred and raised for education.

Personality: A little more aggressive than most, but also a very dependable bird.

What does this bird do in the show? She has does flight patterns some years and the falconer's walk other years.

Red-tailed Hawk

Family Accipitridae, Buteo jamaicensis

The red-tailed hawk is one of the most common hawks in North America. They can be seen along highways, often perched on telephone poles. They are 1.5 feet tall and have a wingspan 4 feet wide. Their white bellies, sometimes with a dark belly-band, and brick red tails make them easy for anyone to identify. The females are typically 1/3 larger than the male.

Name: Travis

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1988

Weight: 3 lb, 5 oz

Why is the bird here? She was taken (illegally) from her nest as a chick. As a result of poor nutrition early on in her life, she suffers from Rickett's and her legs are bowed. The staff of the Sanctuary is fond of her and admires her strength.

Personality: A very calm hawk, she is not afraid of anything and works well with all trainers.

Name: Marz

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1987

Why is the bird here? He was taken illegally from his nest and fed an improper diet. Because of this he had a severe calcium deficiency which led to improperly formed bones. He was non-releasable.

Personality: He is very mellow and great to work with. Nothing ever bothers him.

Name: Timagen

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1984

Weight: 2 lb, 13 oz

Personality: Great flier, though he certainly prefers some handlers to others. He is very vocal, but not much phases him.

What does this bird do in the show? Flight demonstration

Name: Willard

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1994

Weight: 3.5 lbs

Why is the bird here? Raised for education

Personality: He is nervous around marine mammals, umbrellas, and canopies, also pulls carpet.

What does this bird do in the show: Posing area

Name: Sequoia

Sex: Male

Hatched: 1994

Weight: 3 lb, 6.4 oz

Why is the bird here? He fell out of his nest and was found in someone's driveway. They kept him and fed him for a few days before he was turned over to WBS.

Personality: Prefers to work with women. Flaps his wings a lot.

What does this bird do in the show? He is walked on stage.

Red Shouldered Hawk

Family Accipitridae, Buteo lineatus

The red shouldered hawk is common mostly to the eastern United States, favoring wooded river valleys. Eats mainly small prey. Blue jays can imitate their calls, but there is a noticeable difference. They are noisy and quite obvious, especially during breeding season. They build their nests close to the trunk of a tree.

Great Black Hawk

Family Accipitridae, Buteogallus urubitinga

This medium sized hawk's most prominent feature is its long, bare legs. They hunt for fish, crustaceans and amphibians in shallow water.

White Hawk

Family Accipitridae, Leucopternis albicollis

This species of hawk from the rainforests of South America is one type of hawk not much is known about. They eat rodents, birds, and snakes. Their black and white plumage is striking. Ivory is the only known White Hawk performing in the United States.

Name: Ivory

Sex: unknown

Hatched: unknown-found as an adult

Why is the bird here? She was being imported illegally to the United Statesfor the pet trade. She was confiscated and funds were donated to fly her (on an airplane!) to WBS.

Personality: Very alert. She likes to see everything going on around her.

Buzzards

The name buzzard is misleading. For the majority of the world, buzzard means hawk and the birds featured here are hawks. Only Americans use the word buzzard to refer to vultures. If you would like to meet some black vultures, turkey vultures and more, visit our vulture page!

Augur Buzzard

Family Accipitridae, Buteo rufofuscus

The augur buzzard is the highest flying hawk in Africa and can reach heights of 10,000 feet. They stand 21 inches tall and have a wingspan over four feet wide. They are cousins to the red tailed hawk of North America and have a brick red tail, just like the red tailed hawk. Their nickname "the jackal" comes from their loud laughing call.

Name: Kee-oo

Sex: Female

Hatched: 1992

Personality: Worked in a World Bird Sanctuary Sea World Ohio program. Kee-oo is a dark phase augur buzzard.

Name: Prophet

Sex: unknown

Hatched: 2002

Weight: 2 lb, 13.8 oz

Why is the bird here? Bred for education.

Personality: Very vocal and territorial.

What does this bird do in the show? He is walked on stage.

Lizard Buzzard

Family Accipitridae, Kaupifalco monogrammicus

Just over a foot tall, this thick grey hawk's most prominent feature is their orange cere (the skin around the beak) and legs. They are widespread in parts of Central Africa. They like to eat…lizards!

Name: Skyler

Sex: Male

Hatched: Acquired 1987, unknown hatched date

Personality: He was taken from the wild in Africa and was brought over to the United States to be sold in the black market pet trade. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confiscated him. He was brought to us and his feathers were so damaged that we were unable to identify him until he molted and grew in new feathers. He is the only known Lizard Buzzard in the United States .