Trip Leader: Hillary Hankey

Hillary Hankey started Avian Behavior International, now the Avian Behavior Conservancy, as a comprehensive resource for avian education and conservation. A master falconer and overall bird enthusiast since a young age, Hillary and her team teaches interactive conservation education with birds near San Diego, California. They produce free flying bird programs for zoological parks and serve wildlife rehabilitation organizations, zoo teams, and other animal behavior enthusiasts through a science based learning program, the Avian Behavior Lab. Hillary is a behavior advisor for the Mabula Ground Hornbill Project, on the Board of Directors of the Indonesian Parrot Project and the African Hornbill Conservation Alliance, and runs the Avian Behavior Conservancy. Hillary is currently enrolled in the Masters Program at Colorado State University for Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. Avian Behavior Conservancy is a 501c3 nonprofit organization in rural San Diego County with a mission is to connect humans and birds through interactive experiences and choice based training. The Conservancy has a highly skilled team of avian ambassadors that reach thousands of people annually through interactive classes on their 20 acre ranch as well as through outreach programs in Southern California and around the United States. As a nonprofit, Avian Behavior Conservancy is funded through partnerships, private donors, and education programs that support their bird conservation and research initiatives from San Diego to South Africa.