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A sentencing date has been set for man accused of slaughtering more than 3,600 birds, including more than 118 protected eagles, during a years-long wildlife trafficking ring out West, new court documents show. Travis John Branson, 48, pleaded guilty in March to charges including conspiracy, wildlife trafficking and trafficking bald and golden eagles, in federal court in Montana. According to a sentencing memorandum filed Tuesday, Branson and his “crew” killed eagles and then sold them across the country for profit on the black market. “It was not uncommon for Branson to take upwards of nine eagles at a time,” prosecutors...

The city of Pacific Grove began an abatement effort to keep seagulls from public places within the city by using birds of prey. On Sunday, the city said they are using birds of prey to deter birds from "nesting on rooftops, rummaging through trash, littering, and leaving unwanted droppings." This is an effort to minimize inconveniences for locals and tourists, said the city on a social media post. The city says falconers will be on patrol with Harris Hawks and other birds of prey in the coming weeks. The city listed the following benefits for deterring seagulls from rooftops: Keeps...

Nebraska officials say a pair of migrants shot and killed a North American bald eagle - a protected animal and the national emblem of the United States - with the intention of eating the bird. Two Honduran nationals, Ramiro Hernandez-Tziquin, 20 and Domingo Zetino-Hernandez, 20, both of Norfolk were cited for unlawful possession of the eagle. Hernandez-Tziquin was also cited for having No Drivers License," the Stanton County Sheriff’s Office said in a press release on Feb. 28. The sheriff’s office said officials responded to an area near the Wood Duck Recreation Area, which is about 100 miles northeast of...

Some will argue that Birds of Prey was never meant to be a big pic like Suicide Squad with its lower-than-DC-budget (around $97M gross, $84M net). Hogwash. It’s a brand, and that’s a lot of money to spend, according to finance sources, on a movie that’s intended to be an event film in the offseason. While spinoffs in their grosses have traditionally shown to be down in their grosses from the core franchise (i.e., Hobbs & Shaw‘s $60M opening was off 39% from Fate of the Furious’ first weekend, and Fantastic Beasts was off 56% from Harry Potter and the...

Margot Robbie’s “Birds of Prey” is set to open well below forecasts, with about $34 million at 4,236 North American sites, early estimates showed on Friday. Estimates for “Birds of Prey,” a spinoff of 2016’s “Suicide Squad,” had been in the $45 million to $55 million range, with Warner Bros. projecting an opening closer to $45 million. “Birds of Prey,” which carries a reported $80 million price tag, touched down with $4 million on Thursday night. Reviews have been strong, earning the film a 84% rating on Rotten Tomatoes — a reversal from “Suicide Squad’s” 27%. The film made $7.8...

Take, for instance, a wind farm in the Western Ghats region of India, where a group of researchers from the Indian Institute of Science performed their study. In the area of the wind farm, raptors were around four times less common than in other areas. They kept dying to the turbines, which is not great for the raptors but good news for fan-throated lizards, the raptors’ prey. In and around the wind farm, lizard populations exploded, completely unchecked by predation. So few of them were being eaten that they even lost almost all fear of danger. The researchers found they...

Margot Robbie is hoping to have a diverse cast around her for Birds of Prey. One of the DCEU's greatest strengths so far is the diverse nature of their lineup. Jason Momoa's Aquaman, for example, is very different from the traditional Arthur Curry look. However, they've also been a prime example of giving females starring roles and seeing the success that can come with it. Gal Gadot's Wonder Woman is their highest grossing and best critically received movie. Meanwhile, Suicide Squad introduced Robbie as Harley Quinn, and the film still made over $700 million at the box office despite a...

The investigation into what could be the largest raptor poaching case in the state of California continues, according to a California Department of Fish and Wildlife officer in Sacramento. Standish rancher Richard Parker, 67, was booked into the Lassen County Jail on Monday, March 12, on multiple charges including take of birds of prey, take of migratory non-game birds as designated by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act, take of other non-game birds and possession of wildlife unlawfully taken. Additional charges may be added as the investigation proceeds. Lassen County Sheriff Dean Growdon said after Parker’s arrest, CDFW officers booked...

A cheep slut has come between a hawk and her hubby. For the last five years, two red-tailed hawks named Christo and Dora have ruled the roost at Tompkins Square Park, mating and raising 10 chicks together. But three months ago, Dora had to leave and go to rehab for an injured wing. And while hawks usually mate for life, an opportunistic bachelorette named Nora soon arrived and began flapping her feathers at Christo.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department announced Friday that 82-year-old Jackie Brister, of Bend, Texas, had been indicted by a Lampasas County grand jury on the counts related to a January incident. Brister faces additional charges on allegations that he captured and killed other protected non-game birds including several types of vultures.

An injured hawk owes its life to a man in Connecticut. Nick Skoloski spotted this injured red tailed hawk on the side of a busy road on Friday. He pulled over to help the grounded bird, running across the highway and stopping traffic to do it! Doctors at the Suffield Veterinarian Hospital said they would do what they could to mend the bird's wing and get it back into the air as soon as possible

For education and discussion only. Not for commercial use. ISSYK, Kazakhstan (Reuters) - The zigzagging fox makes a last, desperate dash across a snow-covered valley, trying to reach some rocks. Above glides a golden eagle in ever narrowing circles. The red-furred fox then stops for a moment to look up to see, too late, the eagle hurtling toward it. Cheers burst out from the hundreds of people watching the hunt from a nearby slope as the judge announces the name of the winner. The hunter, on horseback, rides slowly over to his eagle whose talons have already ripped apart the...