PITTSBURG, Kan. (AP) — Delia Lister tries to coax Alexander onto her glove, calling him "buddy" and giving him a dead mouse to snack on.

But with others around, he's more interested in squawking to let the newcomers know they've entered his territory. He still has a lot to learn, Lister said — and that's OK. He'll be ready to fill his new role by this fall, she hopes.

Alexander is a Harris's hawk and the newest animal ambassador for Nature Reach, a natural history and environmental education outreach program operated by Pittsburg State University's biology department. Arriving in Pittsburg rec...