Click on the species name to access the species profile.  Click on the thumbnail for a larger picture. American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) photo © David Powell Female, hatched in 1994.  She is a human imprint, which means that she has no fear of humans.  This can be dangerous for the bird and people due to her territorially aggressive nature.  If released, she would not recognize other American Kestrels as being like her and would not reproduce. She is also unable to hunt for her own food, since she has had food provided for her all her life.  We believe she was taken from the nest by somebody who wanted her as a pet.  Unfortunately, she was fed an inappropriate diet, which resulted in temporary feather damage.  Her 1995 molt produced excellent feather condition, and she is now fully flighted. Female, hatched in 1998.  She has an injured wing, and was found hopping in an agricultural field in Belen, New Mexico. We believe that she was attacked by another animal, but cannot be certain. Although able to fly somewhat, we suspect she is unable to sustain flight for long distances.  Young kids love to see her in programs because she is quite active and likes to raise her wings and call.  She currently lives with a male kestrel and often lays eggs in the spring.  Male hatched in 2002.  He is missing all of his right wing.  He was found on the University of New Mexico campus, with no other obvious signs of injury.  When found, he was extremely emaciated.  He was brought to Wildlife Rescue, Inc., then transferred to Hawks Aloft in July 2003.  Despite medical examinations, we are unsure of the cause of his injury.  His bold coloration and small size makes him a favorite among young and old audiences alike.  He currently lives with a female American Kestrel.  Male hatched in 1996.  He came from the Wildlife Center, in Espanola, New Mexico.  He is a human imprint, which means that he has no fear of humans.  This can be dangerous for the bird and people due to his territorially aggressive nature.  If released, he would not recognize other American Kestrels as being like him and would not reproduce. He is also unable to hunt for his own food, since he has had food provided all of his life.  We believe he was taken from the nest by somebody who wanted him as a pet.  He is fully flighted and gets plenty of exercise in his enclosure.   Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus) photo © David Powell Picture currently unavailable Female hatched in 1987 or 1988.  She came to us from the Peregrine Fund.  She was a captive breeder, and raised over 50 Peregrine Falcon chicks for release into the wild. Once the Peregrine Falcon was delisted from the Endangered Species List in 1999, she was no longer needed for captive breeding. Because of her advanced age, and the fact that she had never lived in the wild, she was determined to be non-releasable and was transferred to Hawks Aloft.  Because of the Peregrine Falcon's well known story of decline and recovery, she is frequently requested for programs.  Due to her vocal and active nature, she does best with older audiences.  Female hatched in 2003.  She came to us from the Wildlife Center, in Espanola, New Mexico.  She has a broken right wing which grows deformed feathers at the site of the break.  She is currently undergoing training, and has good potential for educational programs.    Merlin (Falco columbarius)   Picture currently unavailable   Female hatched in the spring of 2003.  She came to us from the Ojai Raptor Center, California in November of 2003.  She has a fractured wing, which probably resulted from a car collision.  She is just finishing her training, and has attended a few small programs.  So far she is doing great, and we hope to get her out to more programs soon.  She currently lives with a male Mississippi Kite.