TRC Trained by Avian Behavior Specialist

In early December, Teton Raptor Center received a grant to support an inspiring and in-depth professional development opportunity with Hillary Hankey from Avian Behavior International. She led a 5-day, onsite workshop for TRC’s Avian Care Team to evaluate the Avian Ambassadors, create long-term training plans, assess abilities, and teach the team about the most up-to-date training methods.

Hillary is the founder and director of Avian Behavior International and one of the foremost free-flight bird trainers in the United States. She is well known for being at the forefront of utilizing progressive and choice-based training methods when working with Avian Ambassadors and has been training for over twenty-five years. She worked closely with our team, as well as volunteers, to set training goals and present new training techniques. Her visit was one of the highlights of the past year and we are eager to integrate all that we learned into ongoing training, enrichment, and welfare for our Avian Ambassadors. Her visit is a great example of the professional development opportunities that TRC is participating in to lead the charge for raptor welfare in education.