I could easily call this book list the “Birds of Prey” list, and that’s what these types of birds are commonly called. But, the kids and I have volunteered these last couple of years at a nearby state park where they have 2 raptors – a red-tail hawk and an eastern screech owl (gray morph) and we have learned so much about terminology and native wildlife. The screech owl is my favorite. She chitters back at me when I talk to her and I really hope someday to be able to hold her.

My daughter also has had a long-time love for vultures. She has been referred to as “agent of chaos” and “dark and twisty” and vultures just fit right in. She keep trying to pretend that toucans are her favorite, especially one at a favorite zoo named Frida (yes, like Kahlo), but really vultures are her true love. We have a few vulture stuffies too, and of a variety of owls.

You may have found this page because several homeschool curricula will likely have a unit in Autumn highlighting hawks, eagles, vultures, owls and you are curious about any additional books that might be found.

You may find a free printable of my list of 24 books on – again for FREE. 🙂

If you want to skip the download, you can find the list on both or

Here are a few of my favorites:

Mrs. Peanuckle’s Bird Alphabet by Jessie Ford (0-3yo)
Under the Blanket Sky by Tim Fischer (3-7yo)
The Hawk of the Castle by Danna Smith (4-8yo)
Father Eagle and the Hunter by Alfreda Beartrack-Algeo (6-8yo)

We have tried to get outside once a week to a nearby state park (state parks are awesome, especially if you live in Ohio where they’ve been voted best in the nation! But seriously, if you have trouble getting to a National Park, there’s a good chance there’s a state park nearby that could get you to just about the same geography of interest) throughout the whole year – even winter. We try to have the mindset that there’s no bad weather, only dangerous weather, and then prepare accordingly. This year has been a rough one, because I’m going through allergy therapy shots and it makes it hard for me to be outside during high pollen.

All that to say, when you spend time out in nature, you get a lot of various kinds of benefits. One that I’ve come to appreciate most is that our “noticing” skills have improved exponentially. Not just for the kids, but for me too! The park has a troop of volunteers who are fairly knowledgeable as well as naturalists leading activities with us. One thing you can do when learning about raptors is to dissect an owl pellet and we’ve found a few out in the park and dissected them together – surmising which critters were part of that meal. If you are interested in dissecting owl pellets with your kids, you can purchase a kit with all the tools, charts, and sterilized pellets at a fairly low price here.

Another personal story about raptors is that a few years ago, my father-in-law found a young red-shoulder hawk on the ground on their property. He kept an eye on it for a few hours, leaving some water nearby, and checking if it moved. It didn’t move and seemed too large for parents to still be attending to it. He was pretty sure it had injured itself. He contacted the state park near him which has a rehabilitation center on site. They talked him through how to safely capture it and then transport to the center so they could assess injuries and work on recovery.

After a couple months, he got a call saying that they were ready to release the bird and would he like to be there. He jumped at the chance! The kids and I went to the park early to do some exploring and then met up with him and the naturalist in a secluded part of the park. There are bald eagles nesting by the lake, so it was best if it was released in a different area. We got out and the naturalist handed thick gloves to my father-in-law.

We were so surprised when they said he could do the honors of releasing the bird! It was brought out of the cage, carefully handed to him (not happy to be handled!) and then tossed into the air to go on its way. What a rush! What satisfaction!

I hope you have as much fun as we have learning about raptors!

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