Coopers Hawks #13-1494, 1495, and 1496

Species Name (EN): 
Species Name (LA): 
Admission Date: 
June 15, 2013
Release Date: 
September 10, 2013
Location of Rescue: 
Roanoke, VA
Cause of Admission / Condition: 
Orphaned
Prognosis: 
Outcome: 
All released
Patient Status: 
Patient Archive
Released

On June 13, three young Cooper’s Hawks were found after a heavy storm rolled through Roanoke, Virginia and destroyed their nesting tree. The hawks’ mother was killed in the storm, so the local Animal Control officers took the three young hawks to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center. Permitted rehabilitator Sabrina Garvin hydrated and fed the young hawks, and two days later sent them to the Wildlife Center of Virginia.

Admitted as patients #13-1494, 1495, and 1496, all the chicks were found to be healthy. The staff settled the three birds into the Center’s holding room and offered them a diet of chopped mice. In the wild, Cooper’s Hawks primarily eat medium-sized birds, small mammals, insects, amphibians, and reptiles. When the Wildlife Center receives adult Cooper’s Hawks, these picky eaters are typically served a diet of chicks or quail. Because these three young birds were not yet particularly finicky eaters, the rehabilitation staff offered a more calorie-dense meal of chopped mice and rats.

By early July, the three birds were living together outside in an intermediate-sized C-pen enclosure. On July 28, the siblings were moved to A3 – the Center’s largest flight pen. The rehabilitation staff began a daily exercise program for the raptors on August 4. Once all three are flying well, they will be split up into different flight pens for live-prey testing. This live-prey testing will consist of “chick school”, in which the young raptors will learn to hunt for their own food for the first time. All three hawks will need to “pass” five days of live-prey testing before release is considered.

Watch the Cooper’s Hawk family on the Center’s Critter Cam!

Your special donation will help the Center to provide care to these young bird... and to the 2,600 sick, injured, and orphaned wild animals the Center will treat this year. Please help!
 

Updates

September 6, 2013

On August 30, Cooper’s Hawks #13-1495 and #13-1496 were transported to Roanoke for release. The volunteer transporter handed the birds off to rehabilitator Sabrina Garvin, of Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center. Sabrina was able to get this amazing shot of one of the hawks after it flew out of the transport carrier!

Cooper’s Hawk #13-1494 began passing round two of its live-prey testing, though did not hunt for its food consistently. The rehabilitation staff gave the hawk several days of eating dead chicks to ensure that its weight was maintained. Another round of live-prey testing started on September 5.
 

August 30, 2013

Both Cooper’s Hawks #13-1495 and 1496 passed their live-prey testing with flying colors – each bird was able to successfully hunt for food for five days in a row. Each hawk had a pre-release blood analysis on August 28, and both were cleared for release. The staff are seeking transport to return the young birds back to the Roanoke area.

Cooper’s Hawk #13-1494 was not as successful with live prey testing. After a failed attempt at hunting, the rehabilitation staff stopped offering live prey and instead offered the hawk dead chicks, to ensure that it wasn’t losing too much weight. The hawk will be tested again within a few days.
 

August 20, 2013

The three juvenile Cooper’s Hawks have been flying well over the past two weeks. On August 14, the rehabilitation staff moved Cooper’s Hawk #13-1496 to a different flight pen [FP6] to begin live prey testing. Live prey testing is an essential part of any young raptor’s rehabilitation – this practice ensures that the bird is able to successfully hunt for its own meals. The Cooper’s Hawk began “chick school” on August 15 – and was successful at hunting within the first day. The hawk successfully hunted for three days; the rehabilitation staff will continue the hawk on live prey training when more chicks arrive later this week.

Once #13-1496 is finished with live-prey testing, the other Cooper’s Hawks will take their turn. Each bird will be moved to an enclosure where it can be housed individually during the live prey testing.

Share This Page