Falcons and Caracaras in North America

Great Argus

Well-Known Member
5+ year member
Here we go again, a smaller one this time. Originally I was going to tack this one on to the birds of prey thread with the coming update, but I decided that list was already big enough.

Anyway, cutoff date is 2018, let me know any updates as always.

**Note on Lanner, Laggar, Gyrfalcon, Peregrine Falcons — as far I as I know none of the listed birds are hybrids, but it is a potentiality. Let me know of any known hybrids on the list or in addition, if you know the species that would be helpful.**

*Following Birds of the World's taxonomy, Barbary Falcon is retained under Peregrine. Afaik only Catoctin has Barbary, and I have noted this in the listing.*
 
Falconidae


Phalcoboenus

Striated Caracara (1 holder)

African Lion Safari


Caracara

Crested Caracara (10 holders)

ASDM
Brevard
Cape May
Carolina Raptor Center
Fort Worth
LA?
Philadelphia
Save Our Seabirds
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Zoo Miami


Polihierax

African Pygmy Falcon (5-7 holders)

Denver
Fort Worth
Houston
LA
Memphis
Oklahoma City?
San Diego?


Falco

Eurasian Kestrel (1-2 holders)

Luray?
Carolina Raptor Center

American Kestrel (15-18 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Bramble Park
CALM?
Canadian Raptor Conservancy
Cascades Raptor Center
El Paso
Great Plains Nature Center
Lee Simmons
Living Coast Discovery Center
Maine Wildlife Park
Richardson Nature Center
Saskatoon Forestry Park & Zoo?
Save Our Seabirds
Toronto?
Westwood Hill Nature Center
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo de Granby

Merlin (3 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center

Aplomado Falcon (3 holders)

Toronto (offshow)
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey

Lanner Falcon* (4 holders)

African Lion Safari
Carolina Raptor Center
LA?
Toronto

Laggar Falcon* (1 holder)

Toronto

Saker Falcon* (5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Cascades Raptor Center
Carolina Raptor Center
Livingston Ripley
Rosamond Gifford

Gyrfalcon* (4-5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (gray)
Canadian Raptor Conservancy (white)
Cascades Raptor Center (gray)
World Center for Birds of Prey?

Peregrine Falcon* (18-21 holders)

African Lion Safari
Alaska
ASDM
Assiniboine Park
Audubon Sharon
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary?
Bronx?
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
Catoctin (Barbary)
Cleveland Museum of NH
Edmonton Valley
Elmwood Park
Lehigh Valley
Livingston Ripley
Luray
Toronto
Wildwood
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey?
ZooAmerica

Prairie Falcon (1 holder)

The Living Desert?
 
Phoenix Zoo had American kestrels last July, probably still do.

Woodland Park Zoo lists Aplomado Falcon on their website

Tracy Aviary has Aplomado and Peregrine
 
Last edited:
Woodland Park Zoo lists Aplomado Falcon on their website

Did they recover their Aplomado? Last I remember hearing about theirs it had flown off during training and they were looking for her.

[Edit] It looks like they did, though I'm not finding a reference to the occasion I'm thinking of. Added. :)
 
Did they recover their Aplomado? Last I remember hearing about theirs it had flown off during training and they were looking for her.

All I know is that it’s still on their website, but that doesn’t mean anything really
 
Falconidae


Phalcoboenus

Striated Caracara (1 holder)

African Lion Safari


Caracara

Crested Caracara (10 holders)

ASDM
Brevard
Cape May
Carolina Raptor Center
Fort Worth
LA?
Philadelphia
Save Our Seabirds
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Zoo Miami


Polihierax

African Pygmy Falcon (5-7 holders)

Denver
Fort Worth
Houston
LA
Memphis
Oklahoma City?
San Diego?


Falco

Eurasian Kestrel (1-2 holders)

Luray?
Carolina Raptor Center

American Kestrel (15-18 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Bramble Park
CALM?
Canadian Raptor Conservancy
Cascades Raptor Center
El Paso
Great Plains Nature Center
Lee Simmons
Living Coast Discovery Center
Maine Wildlife Park
Richardson Nature Center
Saskatoon Forestry Park & Zoo?
Save Our Seabirds
Toronto?
Westwood Hill Nature Center
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo de Granby

Merlin (3 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center

Aplomado Falcon (3 holders)

Toronto (offshow)
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey

Lanner Falcon* (4 holders)

African Lion Safari
Carolina Raptor Center
LA?
Toronto

Laggar Falcon* (1 holder)

Toronto

Saker Falcon* (5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Cascades Raptor Center
Carolina Raptor Center
Livingston Ripley
Rosamond Gifford

Gyrfalcon* (4-5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (gray)
Canadian Raptor Conservancy (white)
Cascades Raptor Center (gray)
World Center for Birds of Prey?

Peregrine Falcon* (18-21 holders)

African Lion Safari
Alaska
ASDM
Assiniboine Park
Audubon Sharon
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary?
Bronx?
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
Catoctin (Barbary)
Cleveland Museum of NH
Edmonton Valley
Elmwood Park
Lehigh Valley
Livingston Ripley
Luray
Toronto
Wildwood
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey?
ZooAmerica

Prairie Falcon (1 holder)

The Living Desert?
Center for birds of prey in SC has Barbary falcon and Crested Caracara (Plancus)
Earthplace in CT has Peregrine falcon
The Raptor Trust has Merlin and Peregrine falcon
Marshy Point Nature Center in MD has American kestrel
Do Toledo, Cincinnati, Knoxville, or the National Aviary still have African pygmy falcon?
 
Falconidae


Phalcoboenus

Striated Caracara (1 holder)

African Lion Safari


Caracara

Crested Caracara (10 holders)

ASDM
Brevard
Cape May
Carolina Raptor Center
Fort Worth
LA?
Philadelphia
Save Our Seabirds
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Zoo Miami


Polihierax

African Pygmy Falcon (5-7 holders)

Denver
Fort Worth
Houston
LA
Memphis
Oklahoma City?
San Diego?


Falco

Eurasian Kestrel (1-2 holders)

Luray?
Carolina Raptor Center

American Kestrel (15-18 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Bramble Park
CALM?
Canadian Raptor Conservancy
Cascades Raptor Center
El Paso
Great Plains Nature Center
Lee Simmons
Living Coast Discovery Center
Maine Wildlife Park
Richardson Nature Center
Saskatoon Forestry Park & Zoo?
Save Our Seabirds
Toronto?
Westwood Hill Nature Center
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo de Granby

Merlin (3 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center

Aplomado Falcon (3 holders)

Toronto (offshow)
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey

Lanner Falcon* (4 holders)

African Lion Safari
Carolina Raptor Center
LA?
Toronto

Laggar Falcon* (1 holder)

Toronto

Saker Falcon* (5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Cascades Raptor Center
Carolina Raptor Center
Livingston Ripley
Rosamond Gifford

Gyrfalcon* (4-5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (gray)
Canadian Raptor Conservancy (white)
Cascades Raptor Center (gray)
World Center for Birds of Prey?

Peregrine Falcon* (18-21 holders)

African Lion Safari
Alaska
ASDM
Assiniboine Park
Audubon Sharon
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary?
Bronx?
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
Catoctin (Barbary)
Cleveland Museum of NH
Edmonton Valley
Elmwood Park
Lehigh Valley
Livingston Ripley
Luray
Toronto
Wildwood
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey?
ZooAmerica

Prairie Falcon (1 holder)

The Living Desert?
I can confirm Bay Beach has a Peregrine.
 
The most recent taxonomic evidence suggests a lump between Crested and Southern Caracara, retaining the two as subspecies. Further complicating which zoo has which (sub)species.
 
Zoo Tampa likely holds American Kestrel still. They were in an aviary by the Florida Panther, but that whole area is being remodeled at the moment. They previously confirmed to me that the aviaries were going to remain.
 
Do Toledo, Cincinnati, Knoxville, or the National Aviary still have African pygmy falcon?
I did not see any recent photos or mentions from those places.

Knoxville doesn't have any on-exhibit, Cincinnati appears to have one but it's an ambassador animal. Toledo still had them in 2019 according to a species list on here, National Aviary and Franklin Park both have them on their website still. Someone confirmed them for San Diego recently as well. I didn't come up with anything else.
 
Knoxville doesn't have any on-exhibit, Cincinnati appears to have one but it's an ambassador animal. Toledo still had them in 2019 according to a species list on here, National Aviary and Franklin Park both have them on their website still. Someone confirmed them for San Diego recently as well. I didn't come up with anything else.

Yeah they seemed to be fairly low. I've just found their 2018 studbook, can anyone confirm the other holdings not yet listed? Franklin Park had 11 of the 51 total birds at the time.

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Can confirm ABQ also did not have them on-exhibit. They are missing from recent species lists for Louisville, Miami, and SDZSP. Zoo New England's website has them listed for Franklin Park but not for Stone.
 
Can confirm ABQ also did not have them on-exhibit. They are missing from recent species lists for Louisville, Miami, and SDZSP. Zoo New England's website has them listed for Franklin Park but not for Stone.

I've confirmed both SDZ parks hold them as ambassadors. I'm wondering if many of these are held as such, only Franklin Park and Denver held larger groups.
 
Falconidae


Phalcoboenus

Striated Caracara (1 holder)

African Lion Safari


Caracara

Crested Caracara (12 holders)


ASDM
Bear Creek Pioneer’s Park Wildlife Habitat
Brevard
Cape May
Carolina Raptor Center
Center for Birds of Prey
Fort Worth
LA?
Philadelphia
Save Our Seabirds
Turtle Bay Exploration Park
Zoo Miami


Polihierax

African Pygmy Falcon (11-12 holders)

Cincinnati (ambassador)
Denver
Fort Worth
Franklin Park
Houston
LA
Memphis
National Aviary
Oklahoma City?
San Diego
SDZSP
Toledo


Falco

Eurasian Kestrel (1-2 holders)

Luray?
Carolina Raptor Center

American Kestrel (19-23 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Boonshoft Museum of Discovery
Bramble Park
Brookfield
CALM?
Canadian Raptor Conservancy
Cascades Raptor Center
El Paso
Gabbert’s Raptor Center
Great Plains Nature Center
Hogle
Lee Simmons
Living Coast Discovery Center
Maine Wildlife Park
Marshy Point Nature Center
Phoenix
Richardson Nature Center
Saskatoon Forestry Park & Zoo?
Save Our Seabirds
Toronto?
Westwood Hill Nature Center
World Bird Sanctuary
Zoo de Granby
Zoo Tampa?

Merlin (4 holders)

Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
The Raptor Trust

Aplomado Falcon (5 holders)

Toronto (offshow)
Tracy Aviary
Woodland Park
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey

Lanner Falcon* (4 holders)

African Lion Safari
Carolina Raptor Center
LA?
Toronto

Laggar Falcon* (1 holder)

Toronto

Saker Falcon* (5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Cascades Raptor Center
Carolina Raptor Center
Livingston Ripley
Rosamond Gifford

Gyrfalcon* (4-5 holders)

African Lion Safari
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary (gray)
Canadian Raptor Conservancy (white)
Cascades Raptor Center (gray)
World Center for Birds of Prey?

Peregrine Falcon* (23-25 holders)

African Lion Safari
Alaska
ASDM
Assiniboine Park
Audubon Sharon
Bay Beach Wildlife Sanctuary
Bronx?
Carolina Raptor Center
Cascades Raptor Center
Catoctin (Barbary)
Center for Birds of Prey (Barbary)
Cleveland Museum of NH
Edmonton Valley
Elmwood Park
Gabbert’s Raptor Center
Lehigh Valley
Livingston Ripley
Luray
The Raptor Trust
Toronto
Tracy Aviary
Wildwood
World Bird Sanctuary
World Center for Birds of Prey?
ZooAmerica

Prairie Falcon (1 holder)

The Living Desert?
 
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