On Mother’s Day, New York community members and bird watchers woke to some disturbing news. The body of one young red-tailed hawk that lived in Riverside Park was found lifeless, and people fear that the hawk’s two missing siblings likely suffered the same fate.
The New York Times City Room blog reported on the ordeal. In an urban landscape where signs of wildlife are rare, many residents formed a special attachment to the birds. When tragedy struck, word spread quickly among local park goers, and a handful of concerned community members snapped into action.
On Saturday morning, Dr. Leslie Day, a naturalist and educator, received a couple of concerned messages. Rumors were swirling that the baby hawks had gone missing. They were well known by local bird-watchers who had taken to observing the hawks as they grew. One saddened dog walker reported that about 15 people were gathered near the nest in mourning.
When Dr. Day arrived at the park the next day, she collected the body of the dead baby hawk from a trashcan. She then gave the tiny bird to photographer Lincoln Karim, who runs the Web site palemale.com. Karim planned to turn the body over to the Wildlife Pathology Unit of the State Department of Environmental Conservation, where tests may be able to determine the cause of death. It is likely, however, that the parent hawks had fed the babies poisoned pigeons or rats.
News of the missing hawks comes on the tail of more discouraging news at the beginning of May, that for the fourth straight year, Pale Male — the renowned red-tailed hawk of Central Park — and his mate, Lola, have failed to hatch their eggs. You can find that story here.
Learn more about hawks at NATURE Online:
- Follow the adventures of “Pale Male”
- Take wing with amazing birds of prey in “Raptor Force”
