Hawk tagged decades ago in Pennsylvania found injured 1,000 miles away
An incredibly old red-tailed hawk is resting and recovering after making a 1,000-mile journey from Pennsylvania to Canada, officials said.
The hawk was found injured and was brought into a Nova Scotia wildlife rehabilitation center for treatment, where rescuers also discovered a band on the bird’s foot indicating it had been tagged in Pennsylvania in 2004, Hope For Wildlife said on Facebook on Jan. 16.
Photos show the hawk perching on a wooden pole with yellow vet wrap around it that matches the color of the bird’s feet almost perfectly. A photo also shows the 21-year-old worn metal band around its foot.
“Any Pennsylvanians out there? If you’re a pennamite, maybe you’ll recognize this red-tailed hawk!” the rescue said. “We received this patient a little while ago, and upon examination we discovered that he was suffering from a broken right wing. But that’s not all we found! The hawk has a metal federal band on it, and when we looked into it, we found out that the bird was banded in Pennsylvania in 2004!”
That means the hawk is at least 21 years old and could be even older depending on what age it was when it was tagged over two decades ago.
“In the wild, red-tailed hawks typically live for around 10 to 15 years, so finding one that’s over 20 years old is amazing!” the rescue said. “We’ll do our best to get him back out to the wild. Maybe he’ll fly back to Pennsylvania and spread the word about us!”
The story of the hawk’s journey made its way to the Pennsylvania Game Commission “through the power of social media,” the agency said on Facebook on Feb. 4.
“It’s like a movie in the making — a red-tailed hawk that journeyed far away from home, got into some trouble, and then…well, we’ll have (to) wait for part two of this saga,” the agency said. “After the rehab clinic reported the band, they discovered the hawk had been banded in November 2004 in Berlinsville, Pennsylvania — over 1,000 miles from where it was found!”
That’s especially significant because the birds are “typically resident migrants, which means they don’t migrate every year or only go short distances,” the agency said. “For a red-tailed hawk to be banded in Pennsylvania and travel to Nova Scotia isn’t unheard of but certainly a feat!”
And if the hawk was a juvenile when it was banded, that makes it almost twice as old as the 12-year-old average life span of the species, the agency said.
“We’ve been in contact with Hope for Wildlife, and the hawk is currently undergoing treatment for a broken wing and muscle damage, but they’re hopeful she’ll return to the wild soon!” the agency said. “We look forward to sharing an update if she’s able to be released to the wild. Who knows, maybe she will venture back to Pennsylvania and the story will continue!”
Several people commented on the posts to share how amazing they found the story of the hawk’s journey, especially at its old age.
“Wow. Incredible creature,” someone said.
“A Red Tail living that long in the wild is absolutely amazing!” another person said. “I knew one a falconer had that lived to more than 25 but that was in captive care.”
“Hoping and praying for the best for this bird,” someone said. “Incredible that he has made it so far and so long!”
Berlinsville is about a 70-mile drive northwest from Philadelphia.
