HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — Strange noises can be heard in the wooded outskirts of Huntersville, where the Carolina Raptor Center rehabilitates birds and educates humans.
The Carolina Raptor Center is currently home to about 75 feathered friends and is one of the country's most respected bird rehabilitation facilities. Visitors to the center can participate in a variety of educational programing, view the birds and see how their wingspan stacks up against some of the biggest raptors.
Kate Shaner, the center's education manager, said raptors are birds of prey that usually have sharp talons, a hooked beak and great eyesight.
Owls, vultures and hawks are just some of the raptors guests can see while walking around the center's path.
It all started at UNC Charlotte in 1975, when ornithologist Richard Brown took an injured hawk under his wing. By 2022, the center's bird hospital had admitted 25,000 patients.
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Senior trainer McKenna Schaffer said one of her favorite residents is a laughing kookaburra named Bindi.
Though the species is found in Australia, Bindi was born in a zoo. All of the non-native species at the center came from other zoos to educate Charlotte-area visitors.
The whole flock will soon move to a new facility down the road.
Contact Larry Sprinkle at lsprinkle@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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