Parabuteo unicinctus
Harris's Hawks are part of the Accipitridae family in the order Falconiformes.
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This falconry bird is now 20 years old and was a gift from Ric Jinotti. He is a Viet Nam veteran suffering from multiple sclerosis and is wheel chair bound. Chesty would hunt from his wheel chair and land on his head or arm, dashing after pheasants. Ric had taken a bad turn health wise, plus was moving to a new house. It was a very tough decision, but he and his sister Toni wanted Chesty to join us here. A new building was constructed near the office in 2003, and she joined the teaching team. She and the other Harris's Hawk, Deja have endured cold snaps with heated perches and heat lamps.
Chesty has provided numerous flight displays and will fly over to a tall T-perch held overhead by a participant. Ever since the spring of 2007, she has long as two hours out of her building each day, flying around the Raptor Ranch. She never leaves the property and has a new "behavior" of catching meat thrown high in the air. She also has a half-hearted project of building a nest on the arbor above the deck. Her name comes from a much-decorated Marine and Korean war hero, Chesty Puller.
We just won the award "Best Behavior Enrichment" at the International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators conference in Cincinnati in February. Each year board members review entries in the enrichment category, or ways to improve the quality of life of our captive birds through changes in food, environment, and behavior to “enhance their welfare.” We won the award for our daily routine with Chesty the Harris’s Hawk!
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