Avian Behavior Conservancy

Avian Behavior Conservancy Guests to our farm enjoy highly interactive avian experiences and falconry classes.
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Originally Avian Behavior International founded in 2013, we expanded the scope of our conservation work and our programs help our international research. Founded in 2013 as Avian Behavior International, Avian Behavior Conservancy is located in rural San Diego County on 20 acres of natural chaparral. On our farm we host falconry classes and other interactive avian classes with many different specie

s, from ravens and owls to parrots and vultures. These classes spread awareness for our conservation work here and around the world.

05/29/2026

Many species of birds run a bit hotter than we do. That’s because they have high metabolic rates due to flight being the most energetically taxing of all activities in the animal kingdom. Their basal metabolic rate is higher than mammals to fuel the demand for oxygen and power. Further, their feathers are extremely good at insulation- it’s likely the reason why feathers evolved in the first place. When they need to warm up, they are extremely good at shivering: their pectoral muscles can take up to 40% of their body weight!

I’m more like a little lizard. Put me in all black clothes in parking lot at 85 degrees and I’m finally comfortable. 🥶

05/28/2026

Inconsistency in how we communicate to our birds during early training is one of the biggest obstacles to success. A setback during the foundation building phase looms larger than when there is more learning history based on positive interactions. We had a setback with the African fish eagle a few weeks ago when I was cleaning him as carefully as I could, and it took a little bit to right our course.

When we have to make unpleasant interactions, whether a restraint for a medical procedure or an intervention in their environment, disguising ourselves is one of the most effective ways to keep on track. That way the bird does not associate us with the negative event and we use clothing items that they will never see in real life so won’t accidentally come across it with a visitor or audience member.

05/27/2026

For a long time, people grouped falcons with hawks because they are both birds of prey. They can hunt using similar adaptations. But DNA studies showed that falcons sit on a different branch of the bird family tree.

Falcons are part of a larger evolutionary group that includes parrots and passerines, or songbirds. That means a peregrine falcon and a kestrel are more closely related to a parrot or a songbird than it is to a red-shouldered hawk. The similarities between falcons and hawks are mostly due to convergent evolution. They evolved similar tools because they faced similar ecological pressures as predators.

We can see some of these similarities in the mannerisms of falcons that are quite different when you are in their intimate little worlds. And geez do they have a set of lungs on them 😆

05/13/2026

The Expert Card is what happens when reputation substitutes for precision, and I make the argument in our latest podcast that you can provide a rubric for measuring what an expert is and how to assess progress.

Expertise should not mean being above scrutiny.
In animal training, science asks us to be precise: define the behavior, identify the contingency, explain the conditions, and stay open to revision.

When reputation replaces precision, we stop evaluating ideas and start protecting status.

That is where professional discourse starts to break down, and it makes resource access inequitable for professionals, particularly new ones.

Episode 81 of The Avian Behavior Podcast is about expertise, skill assessment, rhetoric, and responsibility in our field.

05/09/2026

Whenever Larue the crested caracara gets excited about something he tut-tuts at us. Both he and Suyana the condor share something in common in their fascination with fungi. Can’t say I know what will happen if he tries something but I am not in the business of finding out

Address

23945 Old Wagon Road
Escondido, CA
92027

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm
Sunday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+17608003181

Website

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