Picture the word "raptor," and you'll most likely conjure images from "Jurassic Park" or textbook drawings of pack-hunting dinosaurs. But the word is derived from the Latin rapere - to seize or take by force - so the definition also seems quite suitable for birds of prey. Here are a few nests where you can interact with the animal kingdom's taloned predators of the sky.

1. California Raptor

Center, Davis

What happens to raptors that are injured in the wild and need to be rehabilitated? If they're lucky enough, they're taken to the California Raptor Center on the UC Davis campus. Eagles, hawks, vultures and owls in need of medical care are tended to by the veterinary staff, and visitors are welcome to learn first-hand about the rehabilitation process. Each year, more than 200 birds are taken in; about 60 percent of them are successfully returned to the wild. Off Levee Road, (530) 752-6091, www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/calraptor/volunteers/index.cfm.

2. West Coast Falconry, Marysville

Visitors can enroll in a variety of courses, from a one-hour session that allows you to hold a hawk on your glove and call it back again, to the "Falconry Experience" - a half-day class that includes an introduction to field etiquette, a lure-flying demonstration, and a walk through the nearby forested hills to cast the hawks. 10308 Spring Valley Rd., (530) 749-0839, www.westcoast-falconry.com.

3. Hotel del Coronado, Coronado

When local seagulls started getting a bit too bold - swooping in to grab bits off of diners' plates - the managers of the "Hotel Del" decided to initiate a unique bird abatement program. Jorge Herrera, owner of XFalconry, brings his raptors to the hotel's Windsor Lawn to keep those pesky gulls away; frequently, he's accompanied by a peregrine falcon - the fastest animal in the world, and a predator that can catch its prey in mid-air. 1500 Orange Ave., (619) 435-6611, www.hoteldel.com.

4. Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, Tucson

Adjacent to the Saguaro National Park you can view some of the 44 raptor species that inhabit the Sonoran Desert region in a program titled, "Raptor Free Flight," a demonstration-based experience where untethered owls, hawks, and falcons fly free in their natural habitat. The Harris's Hawk, a species native to Arizona, is one of only two raptor species that hunts in family groups. 2021 N. Kinney Road, (520) 883-2702, www.desertmuseum.org.

5. Zoo to You, Paso Robles

What do a bald eagle with an amputated wing, a 6-inch-tall screech owl with an ulcerated eye, and a ferruginous hawk with a deformed talon have in common? They're all rescued inhabitants of this 20-year-old animal sanctuary. On weekends, the facility hosts one-hour tours, on which you can learn more about their resident raptors. 2445 Adobe Road, (805) 391-0604, www.zootoyou.com.

- Erin Caslavka, travel@sfchronicle.com