Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

JD, Willie, Emma, and Aladdin

JD

On October 16, 1987, the Missouri Department of Conservation brought in the bird after having been found on the side of the road one week previously. Radiographs showed fractures in both wings. Because of the age of the injury, much of the damage could not be repaired, and the left wing never healed properly enough to permit flying. JD is currently one of the oldest residents in the Project.

Willie

The Missouri Department of Conservation brought the juvenile Red-tailed Hawk to the Raptor Rehabilitation Project on February 5, 1994. The hawk's injuries, a luxation in the left radius and a fracture in the left ulna, were more than two months old, since the individual who contacted the Department had kept the bird for that time. Shortly after phoning the Department, the woman called back to say the hawk had died. Some time passed, and Conservation agents seized the bird after discovering it was still alive. Once presented to the Project, the bird's injuries were too old to be repaired, so Willie has remained as a permanent resident.

Emma

Emma was brought to the Raptor Rehabilitation Project as an immature hawk on November 26, 2005. She was found sitting in a dumpster and was held by a local rehabber for a few weeks before being brought to the Project. We diagnosed her with chronic (old) fractures of the right humerus and coracoid (bones of the wing and shoulder) which had healed out of alignment, making her non-releasable. She is so comfortable around people and responds very well to food motivation.

Aladdin

Aladdin was found down in a back yard in Columbia, Missouri on January 9, 2009 as an immature Red-tailed Hawk. Upon arriving with the Raptor Rehabilitation Project he was extremely emaciated (thin) and radiographs showed signs of a shoulder problem. After he put on some weight, recheck radiographs were taken and they showed that the left shoulder was luxated (dislocated). This is an injury that cannot be repaired and prevents normal flight so he could not be released. Since he was young and had a good temperament, he was trained as an education bird and is now a permanent resident.