The Raptor Center

The Raptor Center Ensuring a healthy future for raptors and a sustainable world for all. www.theraptorcenter.org
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Established in 1974 as part of the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine, The Raptor Center rehabilitates more than 1000 sick and injured raptors each year, while helping to identify emerging environmental issues related to raptor health and populations. An internationally renowned education facility, The Raptor Center trains veterinary students and veterinarians from around the w

orld to become future leaders in raptor medicine and conservation. In addition, The Raptor Center has reached over 1,000,000 people in it's 50 years of service through its unique public education programs and events.

It’s another foster success story! When our specially trained baby volunteers go out to rescue a young raptor in need, t...
06/01/2026

It’s another foster success story!

When our specially trained baby volunteers go out to rescue a young raptor in need, they scout the scene to look for a viable nest, siblings, and parents. The goal is always to return the young bird to its home nest after being released from care. If the baby can’t be returned to its original nest because it was destroyed and no parents are present, we look for an appropriate foster nest that has young raptors of a similar age.

On May 12, an older nestling barred owl (BDOW), patient 26-0268, arrived from Blue Earth, MN, with minor wing swelling and a bit skinny, but otherwise healthy. No nest or parent owls were located, so this bird was in need of a foster family.

Two days later, another BDOW nestling of similar age arrived from a north suburb of the Twin Cities with minor wing bruising and swelling, similar to owlet 26-0268. In this case, our baby volunteer located a nest with parents and a sibling.

After a short stay in the clinic, we were able to reunite this young BDOW, patient 26-0272, with its family. On May 21, patient 26-0268 successfully joined the family as a foster.

These photos show the two young BDOWs upon admission to TRC’s raptor hospital. Today the two step-siblings are doing well together at -0272’s home nest!

05/25/2026

On Memorial Day, we mark the traditional beginning of summer while remembering those who served. What better way to begin summer than with a bird’s return to the freedom of the skies! This video shows the recent release of a broad-winged hawk (BWHA) that spent the entire winter in care at TRC’s raptor hospital.

This year, about 10 raptor patients of various species stayed safe and warm at TRC during the harsh winter months. Some of these birds belong to migratory species and missed their migration window while healing in our care. BWHAs, for example, must begin their southward journey by mid-October, as they lack the adaptations required for harsh winter conditions and their food sources become scarce. Their journey takes them thousands of miles to Central and South America.

As spring approached, TRC’s rehabilitation team began exercising these birds in our indoor flight hall and outdoors on a creance line to prepare them for eventual release.

For migratory species, we aim to release them when other birds of the same species are traveling through the area in large numbers. The BWHAs are back, and now, after months indoors, our patient 25-0919 is among them, flying the skies!

Video courtesy of Tom and Sue Koenitzer.

Thanks to supporters such as Xcel Energy Minnesota , our team continues to support the rescue, care, feeding, and renes...
05/20/2026

Thanks to supporters such as Xcel Energy Minnesota , our team continues to support the rescue, care, feeding, and renesting of young raptors in need around the state during baby season.

Pictured here is baby great horned owl (GHOW) patient 26-0216, 3-4 weeks old, brought to TRC’s raptor hospital in late April after falling from a nest that had disintegrated. Our specially trained baby volunteers were observing and playing owl calls in the area, but ultimately, no siblings or adults were seen at the site. Thankfully, this young GHOW was successfully fostered with another owl parent and sibling. The second photo shows our former GHOW patient with its new step-sibling a few days later.

Early last week, TRC received a call letting us know about a baby northern saw-whet owl (NSWO) in Sherburne County, MN, ...
05/13/2026

Early last week, TRC received a call letting us know about a baby northern saw-whet owl (NSWO) in Sherburne County, MN, that had fallen from a tree cut down the night before. Not long after, a caller in western Minnesota reported finding two owl chicks after cutting down a cottonwood tree. These two reported cases serve as reminders to wait whenever possible till after nesting season to prune or remove trees, even dead ones, which can house cavity-nesting owls and woodpeckers.

The NSWO nestling was brought to TRC’s raptor hospital, where an examination showed irritation from caked mud on the chick’s body and feet. This baby’s siblings did not survive, but after getting a bath and a couple of days in care, this chick was medically cleared. The chick, which was of branching age, was taken back and reunited with its parents.

Nesting season generally lasts from February to August, so it’s best to remove or prune trees in late fall and early winter. If work cannot wait, be sure to inspect the tree for nests, and consider consulting an arborist for expert advice.

A variety of resources are available to help homeowners care for their trees in ways that protect wildlife, and to locate arborists.

Tree Care Resources
https://mntca.umn.edu/resources

Find a UMN Tree Care Advisor
https://mntca.umn.edu/find-tca

DNR Tree Care
https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/treecare/index.html

UMN Extension: How to Hire a Tree Care Professional
https://extension.umn.edu/planting-and-growing-guides/how-hire-tree-care-professional

(Photo of saw-whet owlet by cut-down tree courtesy of Jason Freichels)

05/10/2026

Today, we celebrate mothers everywhere, both human and wild! Few others are as fiercely protective or as dedicated as a raptor mom. They incubate eggs for weeks, keeping them warm and protected during unpredictable and sometimes harsh weather. Then, from the moment their chicks hatch until they reach independence, raptor moms and dads hunt for food, feed their chicks, shield them from the elements, fight off potential predators, and teach them every skill they’ll need to be successful adults.

Typically, over 250 young birds are admitted to TRC’s raptor hospital each year, often after tumbling from trees. After chicks are examined, medically cleared, and returned to the nest site , their parents readily resume providing care. Raptor parents will even care for foster chicks that couldn’t be returned to their home nest.

This doorbell cam video shows a mother great horned owl flying to a nest with prey to feed her two chicks. One is her biological offspring; the other is a foster whose home nest had disintegrated. Both owlets had recently been in care at TRC’s raptor hospital after their nests blew down. After a stronger artificial nest was fixed to the tree, the first baby was returned, followed by the second owlet, a foster.

Just like momma, you too can show your support in feeding the many hungry young raptors in our care and returning them to their awaiting moms by contributing to our Baby shower. You can make a gift in honor of that special caregiver in your life! https://crowdfund.umn.edu/campaigns/BabyRaptors26

TRC recently reached an important milestone in our efforts to monitor highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) in ...
05/08/2026

TRC recently reached an important milestone in our efforts to monitor highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) in raptors. Our hospital has tested over 5,000 individual raptors for active infection with HPAI.

The HPAI virus arrived in Minnesota in March 2022, and TRC quickly swung into action, changing daily operations to develop quarantine protocols and take a leading role in testing for the virus. TRC medical director Dr. Dana said, “By testing every single raptor that comes to our hospital for avian influenza, we are not only keeping our hospital functioning safely, we are contributing to disease monitoring for the region, and our testing can serve as an ‘early warning system’ that protects both Minnesota’s wildlife and its agricultural economy.”

She further explained, “We’ve mapped seasonal trends, identifying that the risk to Minnesota raptors—and farms—spikes from fall through early spring. In the fall of 2025, we detected the virus in a Bald Eagle 10 days before it appeared in a commercial poultry flock. This vital lead time allows farmers to tighten biosecurity and protect their livelihoods.”

Since the start of the outbreak in March of 2022, all new patients are admitted and housed in a biosecure quarantine space until they test negative for the disease. Staff wear full personal protective equipment while working in the space, including Tyvek, fitted respirators, shoe covers, hair covers, gloves, and eye protection.

Funding for the HPAI monitoring project was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR).

Our disease surveillance data is available publicly on our website and updated on a routine basis, so it is accessible to everyone.

https://raptor.umn.edu/about-us/our-research/HPAI

Once a baby raptor is treated at TRC’s hospital and medically cleared for release, we aim to reunite them ASAP with thei...
05/04/2026

Once a baby raptor is treated at TRC’s hospital and medically cleared for release, we aim to reunite them ASAP with their families in their home nests. Unfortunately, this isn’t always possible. So TRC staff and volunteers are always keeping an eye out for other nests that may provide successful fostering opportunities.

If a baby needs to remain in care at our raptor hospital beyond 48 hours and there is no sibling left “holding” the home nest, the parents may abandon it. But all is not lost! Young raptors can also be placed into foster families that already have a chick of about the same age. The adult owls will care for it as one of their own.

On March 23, we admitted a sibling pair of 4-5 week-old great horned owls from Northern Iowa. Their nest had blown down in a storm, and no foster nests were available locally. The babies were found to be healthy, although one had unusually dark brown eyes instead of yellow eyes. Dr. Dana explained, “The bird never had any inflammation or discomfort or signs of visual compromise. It may have been a genetic difference or perhaps some trauma that was mostly resolved by the time the chick came to us.”

On April 15, after their few weeks in care at TRC’s raptor hospital, a site was found where both siblings could be fostered together, and this pair of owl babies from Iowa got their second chance at life in a nest in Minnesota.

These photos show the great horned owl siblings upon admission to our hospital, comparing their eye color, and the two chicks perched together while in our care.

The great horned owl, though a formidable raptor, is not a nest-builder. So TRC often provides owl parents with artifici...
04/30/2026

The great horned owl, though a formidable raptor, is not a nest-builder. So TRC often provides owl parents with artificial nests when we return their young from a medical stay with us.

When nesting season begins, prospective owl parents seek out old abandoned nests built by other species like hawks, crows, and squirrels. These nests might be sufficient to hold a female owl as she quietly incubates her eggs, but not chicks once they become active and start moving about. In addition, spring rains fall, winds blow, and these old nests often break down, resulting in babies falling to the ground. It’s a big reason so many young great horned owls arrive at TRC’s raptor hospital every spring.

When brought into our raptor hospital, the owlets get a complete physical exam, and if medically cleared by our veterinary staff, are reunited with their parents as soon as possible. Keeping raptor families together is the goal!

If the original nest is intact, that’s where we place the baby. But safely returning these chicks may require adding an artificial nest to the home tree. TRC has plenty of these at the ready thanks to the hard work of our volunteers, who come together each winter for a nest-building party in advance of the spring baby season. Using a wire basket as a base structure, the volunteers weave in sticks and branches to make the artificial nest as natural-looking as possible. Later, the nest is completed by adding natural materials such as leaves, pine needles, and any nesting material found on the ground on site.

When artificial nests are needed, they are placed where parents have easy access to resume care, and the youngsters are protected from the elements. The new nest is supported by existing branches and the tree and wired in for stability. Sometimes this requires calling on TRC’s intrepid volunteer arborists who climb great heights to attach nests to trees and carefully place the chick in the new nest.

In these photos, you can see the whole process, from the nest-making party to the successful renesting of some owl chicks! (Nest photos courtesy of Colin Jones)

This fierce-looking young raptor is a baby great horned owl displaying its natural defensive behaviors when sensing a po...
04/27/2026

This fierce-looking young raptor is a baby great horned owl displaying its natural defensive behaviors when sensing a potential threat. These photos were taken upon this 4-week-old chick’s admission to TRC’s raptor hospital on March 29 after falling from its nest. The owlet’s puffed feathers and fanned-out tail are meant to make this baby look big and intimidating. A young owl in a defensive pose like this will also be snapping its beak together to make a “clacking” sound. That and the intense stare are warning signs designed to tell predators “Stay away!”

These feisty behaviors are healthy ones we like to see. While young patients remain in care at TRC’s raptor hospital, we follow practices to ensure they don’t habituate to or imprint on people. In wildlife, habituation occurs most readily in young animals when they get accustomed to human presence and lose their natural fear. Imprinting refers to the formation of an animal’s self-identity, typically through bonding with its parents, who provide food and care. It is important to prevent young patients from associating humans with parental roles. This would render them unfit to survive in the wild, as they would rely on humans rather than their own species to develop essential survival skills and would not properly interact with members of their own species.

Some of the ways we minimize their bonding with us are: feeding birds in the dark with sound machines so they don’t associate humans with food, wearing camouflage ghillie suits while feeding babies, encouraging them to self-feed as soon as possible, refraining from talking in baby areas so they don't become used to human voices, and otherwise minimizing interactions with us.

So when our raptor patients make it clear they’d rather not be in our company, we’re glad, as it’s an encouraging sign in their journey to be released back to the wild.

After being medically cleared, this young owl, patient 25-0131, was successfully returned to the nest and its awaiting parents the following day.

Earth Day is a joyful celebration of our collective efforts to make a positive difference! At TRC, we are absolutely thr...
04/22/2026

Earth Day is a joyful celebration of our collective efforts to make a positive difference! At TRC, we are absolutely thrilled to have a community that is more passionate and engaged than ever in our mission to protect raptors and the incredible world we share with them. Our raptor hotline is buzzing with calls from compassionate citizens eager to ensure injured, ill, and orphaned birds receive the vital care they need.

When you help a raptor in need, you become a champion for all raptors! Your support powers our ability to expand our critical knowledge and share it globally with veterinarians, rehabilitators, and researchers. Want to learn more about how you can help feed baby raptor? https://z.umn.edu/BabyRaptor26

As a small token of our immense gratitude and to join in the Earth Day cheer, we hope you delight in this cuteness overload of baby owls patients treated in our hospital this season!

Address

The Raptor Center At The University Of Minnesota, 1920 Fitch Avenue
Saint Paul, MN
55108

Opening Hours

Tuesday 10am - 3pm
Wednesday 10am - 3pm
Thursday 10am - 3pm
Friday 10am - 3pm
Saturday 10:15am - 3pm
Sunday 10:15am - 3:15pm

Telephone

+16126244745

Website

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