With their piercing eyes, hooked beaks, and lethal talons, birds of prey rank among nature’s most formidable hunters. Yet in North America, a few species stand out for their reputation as particularly dangerous.

Falconry-based equipment for handling and training birds hangs on a wall inside a facility at The Avian Conservation Center and Center for Birds of Prey on Jan. 17, 2024, in Awendaw.

The bird peered out of a blue carrier box. About 100 people had gathered in Ventura’s Arroyo Verde Park on Aug. 14. They came for one of a new, free series of pop-up release events offered by the nonprofit center and hospital that specializes in caring for sick, injured and orphaned birds of prey.