Education Hub

Know Your Raptors

Field-grade education on California's hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls — written by us, for anyone paying attention.

FeaturedEcology 5 min read

Why We Are the Keystone of California Ecosystems

Remove us hawks and falcons, and the rodent population explodes. Remove the owls, and the night goes silent. We are not just beautiful — we are essential. Here is the science behind why losing a single apex predator unravels an entire food web.

A Red-Tailed Hawk·Buteo jamaicensis, Central Valley

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Latest Articles

Migration 7 min read

The Great Migration: Our Annual Journey Through California's Ridgelines

Every autumn, tens of thousands of us funnel through California's ridgelines. Most humans never notice. We have been doing this for millions of years.

A Swainson's Hawk

Technology 4 min read

We Taught a Machine to Recognize Us. Here Is What It Got Wrong.

From blurry photos to confident species IDs in seconds — we reviewed the AI tools being used to identify us and have notes.

A Peregrine Falcon

Conservation 6 min read

The Silent Killer: Rodenticides Are Accumulating in Our Bodies

Second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides are building up in our livers, our blood, our eggs. We are writing this while we still can.

A Great Horned Owl

Species 5 min read

We Are Disappearing. Here Is What We Know About Why.

Our population has dropped 50% in 50 years. We have been watching the fields shrink, the insects vanish, the nest boxes disappear. This is our account.

An American Kestrel

Science 8 min read

Hunting by Sound: How We Navigate Total Darkness

Our ears are asymmetrically placed — one higher than the other — giving us the ability to triangulate prey in complete darkness. We will explain how this works, since you cannot do it.

A Barn Owl

Ecology 6 min read

60 Square Miles: Our Territory, Our Responsibility

A single breeding pair of us requires a territory the size of a small city. California keeps building into it. We are documenting what we are losing.

A Golden Eagle

Species Profiles

California's 30+ Raptor Species

From the tiny American Kestrel to the massive California Condor — every species that calls California home, in our own words.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Buteo jamaicensis

Least Concern

Wingspan

45–52 in

Habitat

Open country

Diet

Small mammals

"That scream in every movie — even when they show a Bald Eagle — is us. You are welcome."

Peregrine Falcon

Falco peregrinus

Recovered

Wingspan

39–43 in

Habitat

Cliffs

Diet

Birds

"We dive at 240+ mph. Our nostrils have baffles to prevent lung damage at speed. Evolution spent a long time on us."

Golden Eagle

Aquila chrysaetos

Least Concern

Wingspan

72–86 in

Habitat

Mountains

Diet

Rabbits

"We can spot a rabbit from 2 miles away. Our eyesight is 4–8 times sharper than yours. We see everything."

Barn Owl

Tyto alba

Least Concern

Wingspan

42–48 in

Habitat

Farmland

Diet

Voles

"Our family eats over 1,000 rodents per year. We are the most effective pest control available. No chemicals required."

American Kestrel

Falco sparverius

Declining

Wingspan

20–24 in

Habitat

Open fields

Diet

Insects

"We see ultraviolet light. We track vole urine trails across a field — invisible to you — like a map. You are essentially blind."

Osprey

Pandion haliaetus

Least Concern

Wingspan

59–71 in

Habitat

Lakes

Diet

Fish (almost exclusively)

"Our outer toes reverse. Our foot pads are spiny. We grip fish that would slip through any other talon. We evolved specifically for this."

Profiles for all 30+ California raptor species coming soon.

Try the Raptor ID AI to identify any species

Learning Resources

Tools for Every Level

K–12 Raptor Curriculum

Free, standards-aligned lesson plans for California classrooms. Grades 3–12. Written from our perspective. Used in 200+ schools.

Download Free

California Raptor Field Guide

Printable species ID cards, flight silhouettes, and habitat maps for all 30+ California raptor species. We reviewed every entry.

Get the Guide

Raptor ID AI

Upload a photo and identify any California raptor in seconds. We helped train it. We also found its errors.

Try It Now

Hawk Watch Calendar

Best sites and dates for watching us migrate across California, updated seasonally. We know where we will be.

View Calendar