 |
 |
'AN EYE FOR AN EYAS' -- SOMETHING TO 'KAK' ABOUT
Welcome to the Raptor Chapter's site for kids to learn about birds who are predators (meat catchers). We often use the term raptor to mean a bird of prey. You know them as hawks, owls, falcons, eagles, and buzzards. Vultures, crows and ravens are sometimes grouped with them but don't have the things that make a TRUE RAPTOR.
TRUE RAPTOR PIECES AND PARTS
Talons - large, curved claws on feet are made for certain kinds of prey. For instance, a great horned owl's toes are thick and heavy and covered with feathers, but a Cooper's hawk's toes are long and thin and unfeathered. Which one grabs large, strong mammals and which one grabs small birds in mid-air?
Curved Beak - the downward curved beak of a raptor is mainly a meat-tearing tool, but it is also the fur-and-feather-plucking tool, the baby-spoon tool, the nest-stick-arranging tool, and the feather-straightening tool.
Flight Surfaces - the wings and the tail are not the same as other birds' but are specially designed for different kinds of flight. The high speed fliers have long, pointed wings (like falcons), the quick and twisting fliers have short, rounded wings and a long tail (like Cooper's hawks), the slow and soaring fliers have long, broad wings and fan-shaped tails (like eagles and red-tailed hawks), and the night fliers (owls) have long, broad wings with silencing fuzz on each feather.
Eyes - here is where things get really amazing. The eyesight of raptors is like ours while looking through binoculars but in a different way. Their eyes can pick out detail from a long way off, but it is usually movement that they spot. A mouse that "freezes," because he saw the raptor before it saw him, will often not be seen, but a running mouse may be spotted a quarter of a mile away. Owls' eyes see mostly black and white and are much better than ours at night because we see mostly in color.
RAPTOR ROSTER - Click here to see the current patients we have in our hospital!
Did you know that raptor comes from the Latin word 'rapt' which means to seize, grab, carry off or steal? Even when given this name, these birds were thought of as thieves. In fact, they were often shot because of this name, and unfortunately some still are. At one time, the bald eagle was protected by law as our national symbol, yet some states were still paying bounties of 50 cents for a pair of eagle feet! Today eagles are being appreciated more and shot less. People are learning that raptors are an important part of our ecosystem (ecosystem means the working parts of our home).
Raptors are so good at grabbing and holding because their feet are made to tighten and not let go. Their feet actually lock onto prey and can't be released while the prey is pulling away. This is because the tendons pass through a locking tube inside of each toe. Sort of like the way an electrical tie works. Until the pressure is lessened, the toes cannot be forced loose. That's why birds can sleep standing on a limb and not fall off.
A close up look at a raptor handling technique
Has your dad ever called you an imp? It means a "little devil" or a mischievous child. Look farther in the dictionary and you'll see it also has another meaning as a verb. It means to "graft" or add in a new shoot. In an apple orchard, you graft branches onto an apple tree to put on a new branch.
When a raptor has broken feathers and cannot fly, we also imp feathers into the quill that is left on the bird. We use feathers from birds that have died or good feathers that our birds have moulted (lost to grow new ones). In this series of photos, you can see how we took a ratty-feathered peregrine falcon and gave her a new lease on flight.
Since the feather quills are hollow, we carve a bamboo needle to fit both the old quill and the new feather. Super glue or epoxy is used to secure the feathers. Feathers have to be checked for perfect alignment before the glue dries.
MY SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN By Jean Craighead-George
Here's the story of a boy who runs away to live off the land in the Catskill Mountains of New York. He captures a young peregrine falcon and trains it to hunt for their food. His life in the hollow of a tree with his falcon named Frightful is a delight to read. The author has some experience with birds because her brothers were both hawk trainers and both went on to become notable wildlife biologists. Aside from the personal aspects of bird and boy, a lesson can be learned. Running away from our problems doesn't turn out the way we expect.
YOUNG ARTISTS (pictures mailed to the Raptor Chapter) If you like drawing hawks, then please send one to us. We will try to get your picture on the website. Also, write us something about how you came to draw that picture, what it is, and how you feel about the subject of the picture.
YOUNG WRITERS (short stories or poems mailed to the Raptor Chapter) If you are a writer or would like to tell us about an experience you had with raptors, then please send us a copy to share with others. Your work may inspire someone else!
The following poem was submitted by Bob Becker, age 10, Auburn, Indiana
Training my birds to hunt.
I kick up mice and rabbits.
Ayrshire snatches prey in his claws.
He waits patiently.
Bells jingle.
He waits for me.
I search out for him.
I kill his prey.
My gloved hand reaches down.
Ayrshire hops on.
He waits anxiously for his reward.
Our bond evolves with every hunt.
I am the Falconer.
Send your pictures and stories or poems to:
Hawkheads, c/o Raptor Chapter, 2101 Coliseum Blvd E, Rm G52, Fort Wayne, IN 46805
