Average Lifespan: 10-21 years
Average Length/weight/wingspan: 22 inches long, 2-4 lbs, 56 inch wingspan, the female is larger than the male
Habitat: North America, spreading from central Alaska to the mountains of Panama, Northern birds move south during the winter
Usual Diet: Small rodents, rabbits, snakes, lizards
Captive Diet: Rats, chickens
Mating: Both males and female exhibit mating displays, they circle and soar to great heights and then fold their winds and plummet to treetop level, they will repeat this display 5-6 times.
Reproduction: Red-tailed Hawks nest in March in tall trees (35-75 feet tall). They have 1-3 eggs per year. Eggs hatch after 28-32 days.
Special Features: The Red-tailed Hawk is the largest of the hawk family. The eyesight of a hawk is eight times as powerful as a human's.
Gaji came to CNC after she was hit by a car, permanently damaging the elbow of her right wing. Since she cannot fly, we have given her a safe home. Recently, we have begun training her in hopes that we will be able to use her for educational programs to teach people about hawks and other raptors. She is a beautiful bird, and she loves visitors!
Average Lifespan: 20 years
Average Length: 12 inches from head to tail
Habitat: Continental Europe and Middle East, Africa
Usual Diet: fresh green leaves, fruit, seeds, insects
Captive Diet: bird seed
Mating: Males have a mating call, which is different from the call of the female. Both male and female will scream after mating.
Reproduction: Doves lay 2-3 eggs. The female will sit on the eggs for 18 hours and then the male will give her a break and sit on the nest for 6 hours.
Special Features:
Ripley has recently been trying to have more young, but has been unsuccessful possibly due to the age of her mate, Barnum.
She is a shy bird, who enjoys resting in her nest with
Barnum, perching on a branch, or bathing in the water bath
Average Lifespan: 20 years
Average Length: 12 inches from head to tail
Habitat: Continental Europe and Middle East, Africa
Usual Diet: fresh green leaves, fruit, seeds, insects
Captive Diet: bird seed
Mating: Males have a mating call, which is different from the call of the female. Both male and female will scream after mating.
Reproduction: Doves lay 2-3 eggs. The female will sit on the eggs for 18 hours and then the male will give her a break and sit on the nest for 6 hours.
Special Features: Males are distinguished by their courting activity which includes a typical bowing wherein the chest is puffed and the bill is touched to the ground while cooing rhythmically.
Barnum is not as shy as Ripley and will perch on our hand if we present him the opportunity. He makes a beautiful mating call that will get anybody's attention! Barnum also enjoys perching on the branches and bathing in the water bath.
Average Lifespan: 20-30 years
Average Height: Up to 7 feet in length (from head to tail!)
Habitat: India, Nepal and Sri Lanka
Usual Diet: Seeds, grain, fruit, other plant material, and some small animals, like mice, insects and snakes.
Captive Diet: Grain and cracked corn
Mating: Peacocks are polygamous (they have more than one mate) and live in small families. With the onset of the mating season, the male displays its full trail of feathers to the females.
Reproduction: The female peacock (called a Peahen) are excellent Mothers and likewise peachicks are very easy to raise. Peahens build shallow nests made of sticks, leaves, and grass and lay 4-8 eggs, which are incubated for about 28 days. The young are watched over by the peahen until the peachicks are able to take care of themselves.
Special Features: The male peacock can raise his brilliantly-colored train of feathers, forming a stunning display. Female peacocks do not have a train of feathers like males.
Though peacocks can fly strongly for short distances, they rarely do fly.
About your Wild Child...
Peacocks are one of the most beautiful birds in the world, especially the males. Captain is a new member of our community at CNC and is still adjusting to his new home. Recently he got a new room mate, Casper, and they get along quite well.
Average Lifespan: 6-8 years
Average Length: Males - 35 inches, females - 25 inches
Habitat: Prairies, brushy areas, croplands
Usual Diet: Insects, seeds, berries, insects, even small rodents
Captive Diet: Cracked corn, grain, fruit
Mating: Male pheasants are usually polygamous, but monogamy is sometimes observed.
Reproduction: Females lay 8-15 eggs in April and the eggs hatch 22-27 days later. Chicks can fly when they are just 2 weeks old.
Special Features: Pheasants can fly at speeds up to 60 mph. They usually feed and nest on the ground and perch in trees at night.
Casper came to us from a broken home. She hatched from a clutch with normal colored pheasants. She was the outcast, and her brothers and sisters picked on her. They would not let her eat with them, they would not let her play games with them, and they chased her away every time she came near. Now Casper spends her days with Captain, a male peacock. While it may seem an odd match, the two have become very good friends and now Casper can brag that she has the prettiest male in town living in her house!