World Center for Birds of Prey facts for kids
Panorama of World Center for Birds of Prey, May 2017
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| Established | 1984 |
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| Location | 5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane Boise, Idaho, U.S. |
| Visitors | 50,000 / yr. |
The World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, is a special place. It is the main home for The Peregrine Fund. This group is a non-profit organization that works all over the world. They started in 1970 to help save raptors (birds of prey) that are in danger.
The World Center for Birds of Prey was built in 1984. It sits on 580 acres (about 2.3 square kilometers) on a hill. From here, you can see Boise. The center has offices for The Peregrine Fund. It also has special places to breed endangered raptors. You can visit the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center there. Plus, there's the Herrick Collections Building. This building holds a big research library and the Archives of Falconry.
The Peregrine Fund is famous for its work to save rare raptors. Their first big project was saving the peregrine falcon. This bird was almost gone because of a chemical called DDT. Thanks to their efforts, the peregrine falcon was taken off the U.S. Endangered Species list in 1999. This was a huge celebration held in Boise!
Contents
How It All Started: A Home for Raptors
The Peregrine Fund first started breeding birds in 1970. This was at Cornell University in New York. Later, in 1974, they also had facilities in Fort Collins, Colorado. In 1984, they moved everything to Boise. This is when they created the World Center for Birds of Prey. Morley Nelson from Boise helped a lot. He was a raptor expert and on The Peregrine Fund's board. He helped bring the organization to his hometown.
The first buildings at the new site were offices. There were also barns for their captive breeding program. This program helps birds have babies in a safe place. In 1986, they built a special climate-controlled barn. This barn was for tropical raptors. In 1992, the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center opened. It had exhibits of rare raptors. It also had fun, interactive displays. They started programs for schools and other groups too.
In 1993, they built the first of three barns for California condors. These are very large and rare birds. The Gerald D. and Kathryn S. Herrick Collections Building opened in 2002. This building holds The Peregrine Fund's research library. It also has scientific collections. And it's home to the Archives of Falconry.
Helping Birds Thrive: Research and Reproduction
The center has special research areas. These areas help make endangered birds healthy. They also help them have babies and return to the wild. Scientists learn about how food, age, and the environment affect birds. They study how these things change a bird's health, growth, and life. The program that helps birds have babies was key to saving the peregrine falcon.
Today, the center breeds two endangered birds. These are the California condor and the aplomado falcon. The condors are set free in northern Arizona and southern Utah. The aplomado falcon chicks are released in Texas and New Mexico. Birds in the breeding facility are watched with video cameras. This helps scientists learn about their behavior. Studies on diseases, pollution, food, and genes help biologists. They learn about problems birds face in the wild.
Meet the Birds: The Velma Morrison Interpretive Center
The Peregrine Fund opened the Velma Morrison Interpretive Center in 1992. This center helps people learn about raptors. It has interactive displays and multi-media shows. You can also see live demonstrations with hawks, falcons, eagles, and owls. Visitors can even see a live California condor! The center has three types of education programs. They are for the public, for schools, and for outreach. All these programs use live raptors. They teach people about saving birds of prey and their homes. About 30,000 people visit the center each year. Velma Morrison (1920–2013) was an important supporter.
Learning More: Library and Archives
The Gerald D. and Kathryn S. Herrick Collections Building opened in 2002. It has The Peregrine Fund's research library. It also holds scientific collections. And it's home to the Archives of Falconry. The research library has over 20,000 books. It also has many science journals and magazines. The library has an online service called the Global Raptor Information Network (GRIN). This service has information about hawks, eagles, and falcons. It connects researchers and groups that save raptors. It also shares new research and conservation news. The library's collections include over 13,000 eggshells. It also has nearly 300 bird study skins for researchers to use.
The Archives of Falconry has many items about falconry. Falconry is an ancient sport of hunting with trained birds. It includes equipment, artwork, and notes. It also has a large collection of media. The Archives of Falconry's library has 2,000 books on falconry. Some of these books are originals from 1495! The archives got much bigger in 2006. A new 3,000 square foot (279 square meter) part was added. This was given by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed. He wanted to honor his father, who founded the United Arab Emirates. The new part shows an real Arab tent. It also has items and displays about the old tradition of Middle Eastern falconry.
