Raptors spread their wings in Carlsbad at Living Desert Zoo
A great horned owl peered eerily at the audience through it's round, yellow eye.
The bird heard a noise from behind and it's head quickly turned 180 degrees to investigate.
Delighted gasps erupted from the members of the crowd, intrigued by their new feathered friend.
The owl was joined by a Swainson's hawk and turkey vulture, Saturday for a presentation at the Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park.
All three of the animals are kept in captivity, due to injuries, and are used as educational resources throughout the year.
Laura McCann of New Mexico Raptors, a Peralta-based non-profit intended to educate the public about the birds, said severely injured birds are unable to be reintroduced to the wild as they are often unable to properly fend for themselves.
In the case of the owl, McCann said it was likely hit by a car, causing brain trauma and the loss of its left eye.
"Once the birds are used to being handled like this, we don't train them to be released," she said. "Sometimes, their injuries are so severe, we can't release them. When that happens, we have to find a place for them. That's how they become educational birds."
Training the birds to behave in front of an audience is based on building trust with the birds, she said, through feeding and spending time with the animals.
"The main thing I teach them is about building trust," McCann said. "It's kind of weird for birds to sit on a human's arm. It takes a while, but it works."
When they aren't wowing crowds and educating locals, the birds are kept at New Mexico Raptor's sanctuary in Peralta, in an outdoor flight cage.
The animals are fed a diet of rodents of varying sizes, and are fasted every two or three days, McCann said, to simulate a day without a successful hunt.
There are three qualities that make birds of prey raptors, she said: strong feet and talons, a sharp, curved beak, and strong eye sight allowing them to see hundreds of feet into the distance.
Raptors are also biological indicators as to the health of ecosystem, she said. Their good health proves the food chain is strong enough to support predators.
"If we don't have enough predators, we end up with too many prey species," McCann said. "(Overpopulated prey) destroy vegetation. You need to have balance in your ecosystem."
Adrian Hedden can be reached at 575-628-5516, firstname.lastname@example.org or @AdrianHedden on Twitter.