Back in October I got to spend just a bit of quality time with Zen, FCWR’s education Cooper’s Hawk. Due to their high-strung nature, Cooper’s Hawks aren’t often kept as glove-trained education birds.
Sitting with beautiful Zen, I couldn’t help staring at his piercing eyes and his super-cool superciliary ridges.
The superciliary ridge is also known as the supraorbital ridge. It’s that bony shield above the eye, kind of like a brow line on steroids, that gives many raptors a sort of “angry bird” look. The ridges serve to block out glare from the sun. They also provide protection to the eyes. Pretty neat to see close-up, yes?
