A degree in veterinary medicine requires four years of graduate school in addition to undergraduate work. Most students study biology or animal science before attending veterinary school; I did my undergraduate work in Biomedical Science. Although I went directly from my undergraduate schooling to veterinary school, many of today’s students are in their second career. Their backgrounds are extremely varied, but each student must complete a series of required courses in biology, chemistry, physics, math, humanities and English before applying to veterinary school.

The veterinary curriculum covers all aspects of veterinary medicine, including anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, pharmacology, animal diseases, genetics, surgery, anesthesia, radiology/medical imaging, reproduction and public health. All of this is applied to dogs, cats, horses, cows/food animals, and my favorite (of course) ~ BIRDS!

As to why I chose veterinary medicine, I can only say I never wanted to do anything else. I enjoyed working with animals growing up and was always fascinated with medicine. As I grew older, I realized that working as a veterinarian meant working with animals and humans – for me, a great combination. My focus on avian medicine and surgery actually came after I finished my formal education and began working.

A raptor is a carnivorous (meat-eating) bird with three specific characteristics: a hooked beak, sharp talons and keen eyesight. Often called birds of prey, there are 482 species of raptors worldwide; 304 species are diurnal (active during the day) and 178 are nocturnal (active at night). Included in these groups are eagles, hawks, owls, falcons, osprey and kites.

Assessing animal intelligence is very difficult task. Humans often associate intelligence in an animal by its similarity to us. The ability to problem solve, think abstractly, make associations, maintain social interactions within species and communicate are all considered signs of intelligence. Animals that use “tools” in their daily activities, are social in nature and can be taught by human training methods are thought to have intelligence superior to other animals. Measuring this is very subjective, however. With over 10,000 species of birds, it is impossible to rank them by intelligence.

Intelligence can also be loosely defined as being on a gradient from pure instinct to higher and higher learning. In general, the more learning a species does to survive, the more "intelligent" they are deemed to be. For example, a bacteria or an earthworm are "born" and know exactly what to do but it may take months or years to learn how to survive if you are bird like a raptor. Those would be opposite ends of the spectrum on the gradient. Raptors would be considered intelligent. Some birds, like many parrots, crows and ravens, would be considered "smarter" and some, like grouse, would be considered not as intelligent as raptors.

It is illegal to collect or have in your possession any part of an eagle, including feathers, unless you have an appropriate permit. Eagle feathers are very important religious and cultural symbols for many Native Americans and are attractive in their symbolism to many other people. Because it would be impossible to determine how a feather was collected, the law forbids individuals to possess them. There are exceptions to the law that allow Native Americans to legally obtain eagle feathers if they have the proper permits to ensure that no eagles are harmed.

The removal of the bald eagle from the Threatened and Endangered Species list represents a major success. The purpose of the Endangered Species Act is to provide protection and opportunity for population recovery – and the bald eagle population has recovered! Eagles are still fully protected by the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act, as well as the Migratory Bird Act. That said, the public has a critical role in keeping the population healthy through the protection of habitat. Individual decisions about development and habitat contamination are made daily. The eagle population will be proportional to the amount of space we leave them – as many eagles as we have today, we know it is only about 10% of what the land supported pre-settlement.

Almost all of the injuries seen in our clinic, which admits over 700 raptors each year, are the result of some traumatic interaction with humans or human development. Among the most common presentations we see are broken bones from vehicle and window collisions, eagles with lead poisoning from ingestion of spent ammunition and raptors that have been shot (which is illegal).

Raptors eat a wide variety of animals. Some raptors, like eagles, are scavengers as well as predators and will feast on carcasses of any size. Many raptors will take their prey on the ground and can handle prey that outweighs them. Great horned owls are known to prey on skunks and golden eagles used in falconry routinely take foxes. The carrying ability of a bird in flight, however, is estimated to be about 25% of their body weight. If the raptor is going to move its meal, it needs to weigh significantly less than the predator. If the prey item is is too large to carry, the raptor has the option of moving smaller pieces and parts.

Many of the reports of high altitude flight in raptors are from aviation circles, where bird strikes can be a serious problem. Raptors, waterfowl, and gulls are most commonly implicated and have been report at altitudes well over 10,000 feet – heights that require radar or visualization in order to see these relatively small creatures. There are anecdotal reports of a mallard duck at 21,000 feet, a golden eagle at 30,000 and migrating shorebirds at 15,000.

Classically, the bar-headed goose is considered the highest flying species. They breed on in the central plains of Asia during the summer and then migrate over the Himalayan Mountains to India for the winter. Twice a year, in spring and fall, they fly over the mountain range containing the world’s highest peak – Mount Everest. And they do not take the short cut through the 10,000 mountain pass. They are known to fly over the top of the 29,028 foot Mount Everest, calling to each other as they easily fly at altitudes where man struggles to function due to lack of oxygen.

There are so many amazing birds (over 10,000 species) that I have a hard time picking a favorite. My work is primarily with raptors – eagles, hawks, falcons, owls and vultures. Even among that group, I struggle to pick a favorite. The bald eagle is one of the most majestic animals in the world (and just came off the endangered species list this past summer), the peregrine falcon is an amazing athlete able to reach speeds of up to 200 mph, and owls are just cool. While I cannot name a favorite bird, I can name a favorite patient. Two years ago, I had the honor of treating a wing fracture in a rare California condor. It was truly a thrill to work with this bird, who was one of only 127 California condors in the wild at the time. Even more importantly, he was one of the very few to have hatched in the wild and survived. The California condor population reached a low of 22 in 1987. At that time, all the surviving birds were in a captive breeding program. Since then, condors have been successfully released in four areas, including the Grand Canyon in Arizona where my patient was returned.

The most common owl in Minnesota is the great horned owl; the most common hawk, the red-tailed hawk. The great horned owl is a nocturnal bird which can be found throughout Minnesota. The “horns” on his head are actually feather tufts for camouflage. The red-tail is a large hawk with a rust-colored tail that can often be seen perched along the roadside on light poles and signs. Young red-tailed hawks have a brown tail with dark barring on it – they do not acquire their characteristic tail until their second year of life.

While red-tailed hawks are the most common in Minnesota, the broad-winged hawks put on the most dramatic migration each fall. During September, broad-winged hawks can be seen as they form large “kettles” during their migration. At places like Hawk Ridge in Duluth, up to 8,000 – 10,000 of these birds can be seen on a good day as they congregate for their southern migration.

Snowy owls are large white owls that are typically found in the arctic tundra. In the winter, they will move into southern Canada. The species moves in an irregular – or irruptive – fashion as opposed to the regular migration patterns of many other species. Their primary food is lemmings, although they will also feed on other mammals such as voles and various bird species. The lemming population can be very cyclic - in years when there is a decline in the owls’ food source in their normal range, they will move farther south in search of food. While occasional snowy owls are seen each winter in Minnesota and other northern states, we will see much larger numbers of these magnificent birds in years where they expand their range looking for food. These cyclic events, which occur every 5-7 years, are called irruptions.

It is a common misconception that if you touch a baby bird, the mother will then reject it. Birds in general have a very poor sense of smell ~ handling of a baby bird will not cause the mother to abandon it. That said, you should be cautious before deciding to handle a baby bird. Many baby birds are “rescued” by well-meaning people who assume they are abandoned. Often, the parents are in the area or have briefly left the babies to find food. Provide protection for the baby from other animals such as cats and dogs, and then observe from a distance to see if the parents are interacting with the baby. If the baby is covered in down and fuzzy feathers, it may need to be returned to its nest; older chicks may just require a minor relocation to a safer area, while others may actually be orphaned. Contacting a wildlife rehabilitator in your area can help you determine how best to proceed to be sure you are not guilty of “chick-napping”. Be especially aware of young raptors such as owls – those talons may work just fine!

(Sorry I missed this question earlier).
Eagles can be seen all year in Minnesota - they are partial migrators, heading for open water when the waterways begin to freeze. During the winter, they can be found congregated in large numbers along Lake Pepin and the Mississippi River. Eagle watching is particularly good along the river in Redwing and Wabasha during the winter months.

Many owls are cavity nesters and will adopt an owl box for breeding. An owl box is easily constructed; if you have the appropriate wooded habitat available, you might just entice a pair of owls such as screech owls to breed in your yard. They won’t stay forever as they will disperse in search of food, but they may return each year. A good resource on how to build an owl box is Carroll Henderson’s book, Woodworking for Wildlife: Homes for Birds and Mammals. A little research will help you identify the types of owls in your area, their preferred habitat and nesting requirements.

A group of owls is often called a parliament, but this is primarily a literary term. In the natural world, most owls are solitary except during breeding season. An owl pair will produce a brood of owlets. These chicks will be fully grown in 4-6 weeks (depending on the species) and will stay in a family unit for a few weeks after fledging as the chicks learn to hunt. In some species, the family unit will stay together for several months.

Peregrine falcons, which were extirpated (wiped out) east of the Rocky Mountains by the early 1960’s, were removed from the endangered species list in 1999. And what a success story they are! The banning of DDT in 1972 paved the way for reintroduction programs across the continent. The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota led the reintroduction effort in the Midwest and is still part of the on-going monitoring of the population. An interesting fact – the current population of about 200 breeding pairs of peregrine falcons in the Midwest is substantially larger than the historical population. Unlike many other species, peregrines have adapted well to human development. Traditionally nesting on river cliffs, a significant number of them now nest on tall buildings, smokestacks and bridges – structures that didn’t exist before and now provide numerous new nesting sites.

The female Harpy Eagle, which lives in Central and South America, is the largest eagle in the Americas and considered the largest in the world. If you include the New World vultures as raptors (a sometimes controversial topic), the California Condor has the same weight range as the Harpy Eagle, but a larger wingspan. And the Andean Condor is even larger than the California Condor.

The most common trigger for migration is considered to be the changing day length. This produces hormonal changes that control a number of body responses such as fat deposition and restlessness. Although changing day length triggers the internal migration mechanism, the actual migratory movement is also dependent on external factors like weather. Some birds migrate during the daylight hours, others at night. Some truly remarkable birds fly around the clock to reach their destination.

With a wingspan of 11 feet, the Andean Condor (a new world vulture) probably has the largest wingspan in the raptor world.

The most common problem wild birds face is trauma - it comes in many forms, but often related to interaction with humans. The Raptor Center has experts in avian surgery, especially orthopedics. The most common infectious disease we treat in wild birds is West Nile Virus, which is a very recent disease to arrive in this country (1999). As with many viral diseases, supportive care is the primary tool for treatment. The neurological signs in this deadly disease can sometimes be controlled with high doses of anti-inflammatory drugs and we are working on developing a preventive vaccine for captive and endangered birds.

I am lucky to have a job that I absolutely love! Working with these magnificent birds is an incredible experience and almost everyday brings something new and different. While I love the medicine and surgery, I also get the opportunity to meet and teach people from around the world as they come to study with us. Ultimately, though, the best part is knowing that I am making a difference in the world - working to protect raptors and the world we share with them.