Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Raptor Handling 101

Harris's hawk on glove at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science
"Raptor" comes from the Latin word "rapere," meaning to snatch or grasp. Raptors, or birds of prey, have three distinct characteristics: forward-facing eyes with binocular vision, a sharp, hooked beak, and strong, grasping talons. Raptors are handled using operant conditioning, a type of learning that increases or decreases the probability of a behavior recurring based on the subsequent consequences. Positive reinforcement is an example of operant conditioning most commonly used with raptors; this same type of training is used when you call your dog and praise him for coming when called. I learned how to handle raptors at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, an avian rehabilitation facility where we conducted multiple flight-shows each day for public education programs. I also took an avian husbandry, handling, and propogation class at Cornell University, and I continue to handle raptors at the Binghamton Zoo.

In this photo with a rough-legged
hawk,  the anklets, jesses, leash,
and glove are visible.
Falconry has existed for over 4,000 years and is the source for most of the handling and husbandry techniques used for raptors today. Falconers use a variety of equipment, but most handlers in zoos and rehabilitation centers use the same standard equipment: anklets and jesses around the bird's ankles, a glove to protect the handler, and a leash that secures the jesses to the glove. Flighted birds also wear telemetry (radio transmitters). Gloves typically go on the handler's left arm, and the bird stands on the forearm held at a right angle from the body. The handler's gloved hand makes a loose fist with the thumb on top. The jesses (leather straps) have small slits cut into the ends, which are clipped to the leash. The jesses and leash are then wrapped around the gloved ring and pinkie fingers of the left hand, and the remaining leash is clipped to a ring on the glove or tied with a falconers' knot. Handlers holding a bird always have the right of way. People should pass on the right side (the arm without a bird) and should stay 2-3 feet away from the bird.

With a red-tailed hawk
One of the main problems when handling a raptor is bating. Bating is a bird's attempt to fly from a glove or perch to which it is tethered. It's never pretty. During the bate, the handler is responsible for keeping the bird from hitting anything with its wings or feet and preventing injury to the bird or other people. Birds can often get back on the glove by themselves, but sometimes the handler has to put her ungloved hand on the bird's back and reposition the bird on the glove. The handler should then move the bird away from whatever loud noise, frightening object, or stressful situation caused the bird to bate. Birds can also easily become too hot if they are on a glove and unable to seek shelter. Handlers should watch out for panting or droopy wings. Another danger of handling raptors is being 'footed' or bitten. A frightened or aggressive raptor will strike out with its talons or beak to defend itself, so the handler should be confident and competent to prevent injury.

Flying HaHa, the Harris's hawk, to
catch a fake rabbit lure
Handlers must build a relationship with a bird (or any animal) in order to train it. A Harris's hawk (HaHa) at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science definitely put me to the test. Harris's hawks are actually highly social raptors (an unusual characteristic), and they hunt in packs like wolves. Because HaHa was the only Harris's hawk at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science, the handlers were his pack. Naturally, HaHa wanted to be alpha bird over any new handlers, so he made me 'run the gauntlet' to assert my dominance and become a new handler. I was bitten and footed more times than I can count, but I sucked it up and kept working with him. Finally, I gained his respect and he began training for me. And I knew I was part of the pack when a new handler started and HaHa began picking on her instead!

With a snowy owl
Raptors take time and motivation (food!) to become acclimatized and desensitized to standing on glove. Generally, a glove is first placed over a perch in the bird's enclosure, and the bird's food is placed on the glove, so the bird begins to associate the glove with positive experiences. Then a handler is present in the enclosure while the bird is eating. Eventually the handler wears the glove and holds it in the same place as the stationary glove perch. The handler slowly begins to move around the enclosure with the bird standing on the glove. For flight programs, two handlers wear gloves and the bird first has to step between gloves. Then the handlers slowly get farther away from each other so the bird has to make short flights between them. Every time the bird does something correctly, it receives a food reward. Every time the handler tries something new and the bird responds correctly, it receives a jackpot (a much bigger reward). I won't go into nitty-gritty details about training in this blog, but be on the lookout for a detailed blog on operant conditioning coming soon!

Working with raptors has been an incredibly enjoyable and challenging experience for me. They are such intelligent animals, and I think they have trained me more than I have trained them.

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