The Center for Birds of Prey
Radiograph of a Great Horned Owl
Founded in 1991 out of an acute awareness of the need in South Carolina, the Avian
Conservation Center (“the Center”) today accommodates three distinct initiatives including:
The Center for Birds of Prey; the Avian Medical Center; and the South Carolina Oil Spill
Treatment Facility. Strategically located on a 152-acre campus just north of Mt. Pleasant and
adjacent to the Francis Marion National Forest, the Center is the only comprehensive facility
of its kind in the nation combining science, education, research, medical care, captive
breeding and oiled bird treatment.
The rapid and dramatic changes that human activity continuously imposes on the natural
landscape have significant, long-term implications for irreplaceable habitats and wild bird
populations. Beyond the aesthetic and fascinating nature of wild birds, science now
recognizes their critical role as unexcelled indicators of overall ecosystem health. Because of
their broad distribution, environmental sensitivity, and dependence on a wide range of
habitat types, bird populations – and birds of prey in particular – provide critical insight into a
growing number of environmental issues. As apex predators, birds of prey exemplify how the
status of wild bird populations directly reflects the health of the ecosystem and how well we
are managing our natural resources, as a whole.
Since 1991, the Center has provided professional, medical treatment to injured birds of prey
and shorebirds, most of which have been injured through anthropogenic factors. In many
cases, the patients are released back into their native habitat with a second chance for
survival. In every case, lessons are learned about the impacts of human activities on wild birds
in South Carolina and beyond.
The Center for Birds of Prey was opened in 2008 to expose the public to the work of the
Center through educational programming focused on the conservation of birds. Close
encounters with the Center’s trained raptors and natural history discussions with their team
of educators captivate audiences of all ages and open the door for conversations on more
challenging topics such as the negative impacts our daily activities may have on wildlife
including birds.
The Center for Birds of Prey is open to the public for visits on Thursday, Friday and Saturday
from 10 AM-4 PM. One of the highlights of every visit is the daily flight demonstration. This
program begins at 10 AM and includes close encounters with a variety of birds from the
Center’s unparallelled educational collection of raptors including hawks, falcons, vultures,
owls and kites. Following the morning demonstration, visitors are welcome to explore the
Center’s campus on their own or an educator-guided walking tour (1 PM).
A visit to the Center’s “Owl Wood” is a unique opportunity to view a wide variety of owls
including all of the common owls of South Carolina as well as some of the largest owl species
in the world! Wrap up a day at the Center with “Owls in Flight” in the outdoor classroom
(2 PM), where participants experience several owls in up-close, free flight.
To learn more about the work of the Avian Conservation Center, how you can visit the
Center for Birds of Prey, or how to get more involved through membership and volunteer
opportunities, visit www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org.
Among other benchmarks, the Avian Conservation Center:
∙ Provides professional medical treatment for more than 900 injured/orphaned birds of
prey and shore birds each year, releasing the majority back to their natural habitat;
∙ Maintains 120 resident educational birds representing 50 species from around the
world – among the most significant collections of captive birds of prey in the
United States;
∙ Understanding that the most responsible public is that which is best informed, reaches
24,000+ students and adults each year through on-site and off-site educational
programs, highlighting the threats to birds from habitat loss, contaminants, and
other human-related risk factors;
∙ Serves as the only permanent Oiled Bird Response Facility of its kind on the eastern
seaboard, affording the most efficient response possible in the event of a contaminant
spill affecting native bird populations;
∙ Employs a professional staff representing more than 70 years of collective avian
experience, and a Volunteer Staff Program that provides more than 15,000 skilled
volunteer service hours each year.