Raptors are birds of prey belonging to the scientific orders Strigiformes and Falconiformes. The first order is divided into barn owls and all other owls; the latter order is divided into five groups—New World vultures, hawks and eagles, the osprey, falcons, and the secretary bird. Due to its unique topography, the Ridge and Valley province is a major route in North America for raptor migration. Many thousands of raptors soar across the ridges each spring and fall on their way to and from their winter habitat. This predictable pattern of migration was, in the earlier part of the twentieth century, detrimental to raptors. Hunters used this migration as an opportunity to shoot the birds. However, these same areas that were once used for the purposes of shooting and killing raptors have become, in many cases, established raptor sanctuaries and public areas in which to see the birds migrating through the Commonwealth.

There are many well-known sites for viewing the migration of raptors throughout the state—from Bald Eagle Mountain and Tussey Mountain in central Pennsylvania, to Bake Oven Knob and Bear Rocks on the Kittatinny Ridge in the eastern part of the state. The Kittatinny Ridge (which means “endless mountain” in Lenape), is part of the southeastern most section of the Ridge and Valley province, and is home to the first refuge for birds of prey in the world—Hawk Mountain Sanctuary. Each year, from August through December, an average of 20,000 hawks, eagles, and falcons pass by the Sanctuary’s North Lookout. Hawk Mountain maintains active conservation and outreach education programs and provides the public with hiking trails and lookout areas to view migrating raptors.

In addition, in central Pennsylvania, the heart of the Ridge and Valley, you can learn about raptors at the Shaver’s Creek Environmental Center. Shaver’s Creek is nestled between State College and Huntingdon in the Penn State Experimental Forest. One of the primary functions of Shaver’s Creek is raptor education. The Raptor Center at Shaver’s Creek is home to twenty-six birds of prey including eagles, hawks, owls, and falcons.

Pennsylvania’s most familiar raptors include Cooper’s, Sharp-shinned , Broad-winged, and Red-tailed hawks, Turkey Vultures, and Ospreys. Other raptors soaring through the Ridge and Valley include Golden Eagles, Bald Eagles, and American Kestrels.