At Cornell’s Raptor Program, Animal Care and Education Take Wing

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Inside a barn on East Hill, a one-eyed golden eagle named Esther ruffles her feathers as she sits on her favorite toy ball; meanwhile, Gracie the one-winged bald eagle loudly chirps in a neighboring enclosure.

Sadly, both birds sustained life-changing injuries after being shot in the wild. But they landed in one of the best possible places: the Cornell Raptor Program.

Part of CALS’ animal science department, the program houses some two dozen birds—from an American kestrel to a peregrine falcon to four species of owl.

Like Esther and Gracie, many have suffered injuries that prevent them from returning to their natural habitat after rehabilitation, and most will stay in the program’s care for life.

“It’s really rewarding when you see clear signs that the bird trusts you after the months of hard work that you’ve put into building that relationship,” says Angelina Tang ’28, one of the program’s more than 30 student volunteers.

It’s really rewarding when you see clear signs that the bird trusts you after the months of hard work that you’ve put into building that relationship.

Volunteer Angelina Tang ’28

Tang and others not only feed the raptors and clean their enclosures, but offer them enrichment activities, like figuring out how to get their food out of a ball-shaped toy.

And since one of the program’s main goals is to educate the public about raptor conservation and biology, avian residents make regular appearances at events on campus and in the community—including in classrooms on the Hill and elsewhere, and at nursing homes, nature centers, and more.

(For the birds’ safety, the raptor barns are not open to the public, and the program doesn’t publicize its location.)

Student volunteers are assigned to help care for a small number of raptors—sometimes just one—so they can form relationships with them and learn to cater to their specific needs; alumni also help out, especially over the summer and during breaks.

Student volunteers not only feed the raptors and clean their enclosures, but offer them enrichment activities.

“One of the birds I work with is Morty the turkey vulture,” says Tang. “Sometimes we’ll stand in front of a window while he’s on my glove, because vultures like the sun. He’ll open his wings and envelop me in them, like a little hug.”

A double major in communication and animal science, Tang also cares for a red-tailed hawk named Guinevere (or Gwen for short).

At public education programs, Gwen offers an example of why people shouldn’t keep wild animals as pets: taken in as a chick, she couldn’t develop the proper muscles or learn to hunt or fly.

The birds that are able to fly are taken out by handlers for exercise—though they’re always kept on a long lead for safety reasons.

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“The raptors are so much fun to work with,” says program manager Meghan Jensen, a scientist and educator who holds a doctorate in wildlife biology from West Virginia University. “Fred, one of our northern goshawks, can fly through a hula hoop, and students have taught her how to fetch a little stuffed monkey.”

(The raptors have even been featured in a 2024 episode of “Dean Does New Things,” an Instagram series in which Dean of Students Marla Love gets out of her comfort zone—in this case, overcoming a discomfort with birds by meeting several of them up close.)

Since the program was founded in 1993, it has gained residents from all over the country—many having been transported to Ithaca for treatment at the College of Veterinary Medicine’s Swanson Wildlife Hospital.

But one special bird was born on campus—and is quite the hometown celebrity. Known as E3, he’s the offspring of famed East Hill red-tailed hawks Big Red and Ezra, and his 2014 hatching was viewed by thousands on the Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Cam.

As a fledgling, E3 collided with a greenhouse and injured his wing. The wildlife hospital healed it—but since his ability to fly was impaired, he was deemed non-releasable.

Since the program was founded in 1993, it has gained residents from all over the country—many having been transported to Ithaca for treatment at CVM’s Swanson Wildlife Hospital.

Former CALS animal science major Noel Acor ’23, MPS ’24, has been one of E3’s handlers since her freshman year, and continues to care for him while working as a lab technician in Human Ecology.

She’s also mentoring students in handling E3, who tends to be shy with new faces.

As an enrichment activity, Acor brought E3 a children’s puzzle with various animal pieces. She has trained him to respond to the query “What are you?” by finding the hawk piece and lifting it with his beak, for which he’s rewarded with a treat.

“I’ve learned a lot from him, and he’s given me self-confidence that I don’t think I necessarily had before,” Acor says. “The program offers such a unique experience to have a relationship like this with a wild animal.”

Top: CALS animal science major Jeff Huether ’26 with a golden eagle named Esther, who later had surgery to remove an eye due to painful cataracts. (All photos provided, unless otherwise indicated.)

Published January 12, 2026

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