Hi,
I am redtailgal, someone contacted me in the hopes that I could help you out here. I know a little bit about hawks, esp Redtails, as I am a falconer/rahabber in NC and have had several Redtails.
This hawk in your yard is a juvy (immature) redtail and I believe it is a male.
I know its hard right now, but please do not feed him anything else.
It is common for them to come down like this at this time of year. They left the nest a few weeks ago and are now starting a migration that is hard on the young ones. He could be just thin and hungry, but he could also have some other issues that would be worsen by him eating. Not to mention, that he is probably in very poor condition, and too much food or the wrong food could quickly give him a fatal heart attack. Please, please do not feed him anything else.
I have my hubby researching some contacts for you as I type.
His wings are NOT clipped. He is not behaving like a "pet" (falconers do not have "pet" hawks, anyway). He does not have the beak or the talons of a pet. He is simply a wild hawk having a rough time.
That sweet little "coo"........thats a young hawks way of saying "this food is mine and I will hurt you if you touch it". It will not be sweet when his talons are deep into your flesh. Dont try to handle him unless you feel he is in danger.
If you MUST "catch" him, try to get him in a shady area, and lay a large cardboard box over him, and then lay something over the box to hold it still. He should be kept in a cool dark quiet place and left UNDISTURBED. The birds, esp young ones, will stress easily, oftentimes without showing signs, and will quite literally fall over dead.
OK, here
Try this number
269-535-7963 This one of the Raptor centers in your state, if you can get ahold of someone they can give you a lead on people in your area.
If you can provide me with your city name, I can possibly contact a Falconer/Rehabber close to you.
I will keep looking, so please keep us updated on how things are going.
Redtailgal
