Avian Conservation Center and Center for Birds of Prey

The Avian Conservation Center / Center for Birds of Prey was founded in 1991 as the Charleston Raptor Center as a medical treatment facility for injured birds of prey. The name of the organization evolved in 1994 to the South Carolina Center for Birds of Prey, and in 2002 to the umbrella Avian Conservation Center with the Center for Birds of Prey as its principal operating entity, all to more accurately reflect the growing disciplines, reach and influence of the organization. As the nonprofit organization marked its 30th year in 2021, it is primarily focused in four defined areas:

Avian Health

The professional treatment of injured birds is a source of incomparable insight into critical environmental issues. The Avian Medical Clinic currently treats more than 800 injured raptors and shorebirds each year, releasing the majority back to their natural habitat. Although the causes of injuries vary widely, nearly all are human-related - ranging from gunshot wounds to collisions, electric shock from power lines, and toxicity. The medical functions of the Center operate on a 365-day basis. Injured birds are admitted from a continually widening geographical area.

Conservation Education

The educational programs of the Center are offered within two general formats: on-site and off-site. Each year, thousands of students are engaged in the Center’s science and natural history based educational programs. Decades of experience and evaluations consistently provided from educators demonstrate that these programs capture attention, enhance retention of subject material, and foster a renewed enthusiasm for learning – all of which contribute to an overall improvement in academic performance. The experiential programs offered by the Center also promote an awareness and appreciation for the natural world and our respective roles as stewards in its preservation. The power and beauty of birds of prey cast them as unparalleled ambassadors in public education - exemplifying both the intellectual and ethical aspects of conservation management.

Research

Research and field studies combine with the objectives of the medical and educational programs to support the protection of wild bird populations and their critical habitat areas.

The Center has led and participated in groundbreaking scientific research including avian genetics, environmental toxins, and an ongoing study of endangered and threatened species in South Carolina such as the Swallow-tailed kite. The Center’s work is well recognized in connection with environmental threats like the emergence of avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) among eagles and other birds, and mortality resulting from under regulated landfill substances. A “citizen science” approach to a number of initiatives encourages the public to become active contributors to wildlife conservation and raises public awareness of vital ecological issues.

Sc Oiled Birds Treatment Facility

The Avian Conservation Center is designated in the USCG Area Contingency Plan as the official repository for oiled birds in South Carolina and maintains situational readiness in this crucial role. Constructed with a grant from U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, the Center’s combined use Avian Medical Center / Oiled Bird Treatment Facility was completed in October 2007. The facility is designed and equipped to provide the highest quality medical care available for injured birds of prey and shorebirds on a daily basis, and, as the only permanent avian treatment center of its kind on the Eastern seaboard, affords the most efficient response possible in the event of a contaminant spill affecting native bird populations and their fragile breeding habitats along the South Carolina coast.

The Avian Conservation Center/ Center for Birds of Prey has enjoyed long and productive relationships with Federal and State agencies and other relevant organizations since its inception. The Center has worked closely with the SC Department of Natural Resources in numerous areas over the years, including:

Support of law enforcement, providing consultation, evidence collection and storage, and forensic services.

• Formation of the SC Toxicity Working Group of which SCDNR is a participant, in response to bald eagle deaths in landfills

• Providing medical care to 13,000+ injured birds of prey and shorebirds

• As a training and instructional resource for SCDNR officers

• Fielding thousands of public inquiries regarding birds and other wildlife in support of SCDNR and associated public expectations

• Osprey nesting platforms and relocations where appropriate

• Contaminant spill preparedness and response

The Center is staffed by 8 full time and 4 part-time employees with more than 70 years of combined avian experience. The small but effective staff is supported by a league of extensively trained and dedicated volunteer staff members who contribute more than 15,000 hours every year. The current annual operating budget for the organization is $825,000, the majority of which comes from philanthropic sources.

DID YOU KNOW . . . ?

Each year, thousands of birds in South Carolina are injured by collisions with automobiles and man-made structures, electrical shock, gunshots, poisoning, nest destruction and other human related causes. The Avian Conservation Center mitigates some of this damage to wildlife by admitting and treating hundreds of birds of prey and shorebirds each year, releasing the majority back to their natural habitat. The center’s professional medical staff, with the support of more than 15,000 volunteer staff hours, treats more than 800 injured birds of prey and shorebirds in its Medical Center each year.

Visit the Center for Birds of Prey tent at Marion Square to learn more.

Flight Demonstrations

Friday, Feb 17 | 11 am & 3 pm

Saturday, Feb 18 | 11 am & 3 pm Sunday, Feb 19 | 11 am

Marion Square