It is very common in many parts of the world and feeds only on fresh fish, so it is a specialist feeder. We have the first ever trained Secretary bird stamps on a rubber snake for our visitors. The Hawks, like the Sparrowhawk and the Goshawk are very nervous and although we have one or two, they are hard to keep settled, unlike the buzzards which we have five different species, these are naturally lazier birds, with broad wings and short tails and live in wooded countryside. The last group the - Falconids contains the falcons and close relations and these are very different from the other groups. The Kestrel, the Peregrine, the Merlin, all of these live with us at the Centre, They have long pointed wings, brown eyes, and live in open countryside hunting from sometimes a great height and stooping fast towards the quarry.
Raptors vary in size enormously.
The smallest are the falconets and pygmy falcons which are smaller than a starling and only weigh about 60 grams. The largest are some of the eagles and vultures. These can have a wing span of up to ten feet and weigh nearly thirty pounds. But still all are birds of prey, hunting animals, birds, fish and insects, catching them with their feet and using their powerful beaks as knives and forks to eat their quarry. If you wish any further information you can either go to a library and look for good books on birds of prey, or you could visit the Centre, see 65 different species, watch many birds flying free each day and ask questions of the staff here.