Raptors of the Pacific Northwest

You’ll learn to first place an unfamiliar raptor into a broad group—eagle, hawk, falcon, vulture, harrier, or kite—and then use several clues together to work toward the species. We’ll study:

Shape and size • Behavior • Color patterns • Habitat and distribution • Calls

Short lectures introduce the ideas and identification skills. Interactive reviews give you a chance to practice them, and self-graded quizzes let you test yourself without worrying about a score. We’ll also explore the natural history of these remarkable birds. 

And because the best way to learn raptors is to go find them, I’ll show you online and print resources for discovering where raptors are being seen throughout the Pacific Northwest and provide several self-guided raptor field trips you can download and try yourself. 

By the end of the course, my hope is that when a raptor appears, instead of thinking “I don’t know what that is,” you’ll know what to look for, what questions to ask, and how to work toward an identification.

The course is free. Come learn raptors with me.