Delight in the exciting world of raptors at the Center for Birds of Prey, the public education arm of the Avian Conservation Center! Learn about avian predators from around the world and see nearly 50 species represented in one of North America’s largest and most diverse collections of living birds of prey.
Wild birds are among the world’s most illuminating sentinel species. Birds are numerous, conspicuous, diverse, widespread, and particularly sensitive to environmental changes. The status of wild bird populations directly reflects the overall condition of our ecosystem and biodiversity as a whole. Environmental issues that impact wild bird populations often have potential human health implications as well making the study of these populations increasingly relevant and critical to our own sustainability.
The Avian Conservation Center is an “umbrella” organization to accommodate distinctive educational, medical, scientific and conservation disciplines. These operating divisions are: the Center for Birds of Prey; the Avian Medical Center; and the South Carolina Oil Spill Treatment Facility.
The Avian Conservation Center’s medical clinic operates 365 days a year with support from more than 60 trained and dedicated Volunteer Staff members. This state-of-the-art medical facility treats more than 600 injured birds of prey and shorebirds each year. Since its founding, the Center has admitted over 7,000 birds for treatment and release.
The SC Oil Spill Treatment Facility is among the most distinctive facilities housed at the Avian Conservation Center. In 2005 U.S. Fish and Wildlife and South Carolina DNR awarded the Center a $1.8 million grant for the construction of the 3,500 square foot facility, which remains the only permanent oil spill treatment center of its kind on the eastern seaboard.
Research and field studies combine with the objectives of the medical and educational programs to support the protection of wild bird populations and their habitat.
The Avian Conservation Center is located in the Lowcountry of South Carolina, just 16 miles north of Charleston. Programs on campus at the Center for Birds of Prey include guided tours and flight demonstrations where visitors can experience birds of prey up close in an intimate setting.
The program and flight demonstration at the Center for Birds of Prey is often cited as the highlight of a visitor’s experience at the Center. Watch hawks, falcons, owls, eagles, kites, and vultures soar above the flying field. Seeing these birds perform their natural flying and hunting techniques provides a fascinating insight into their unique evolutionary adaptations. The natural behavior of raptors soaring, gliding and diving in close proximity to audiences young and old represent a most unique and memorable learning experience.
The Center is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization that relies extensively on membership contributions, corporate sponsorship, foundations, and our committed Volunteer Staff to conduct our work. We invite you to participate! You can support the Center by becoming a Member, making a planned gift, joining our Corporate sponsors, providing in-kind support, and more.