I'm heartbroken to report I just received word that the Tompkins Square red-tailed hawk fledgling who was rescued yesterday, passed away last night at Wild Bird Fund.
The cause has not been determined yet, but from what I observed, I am speculating (strongly) that it was rodenticide poisoning. I'm hoping WBF sends the hawk to the NYSDEC for a necropsy, which would give us a definite answer.
This loss of this hawk follows the death of its sibling on July 4, which appears to be from frounce, but tests have not provided a confirmed cause of death yet.
Looking back, these are other local hawk deaths either determined to be, or likely to be, caused by rodenticide poisoning:
- 2021: One of the fledglings dies after being found in distress on a fire escape. Undetermined cause.
- 2021: One of the chicks dies in the nest. Undetermined cause.
- 2019: The first hawk chick dies in the nest. Undetermined cause.
- 2019: The second hawk chick dies in the nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning.
- 2018: One of the fledglings dies a few days after leaving the nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning.
- 2016: An adult female hawk dies in Collect Pond Park while building a nest. Cause: rodenticide poisoning.
These are just the hawks I have personally seen pass away. There have been many more around the city.
People always ask me if we can tell if the fledglings are male/female. Short answer: not really. Longer answer: if we just go by size, which is not always accurate, females tend to be larger. I have speculated this trio was made up of two females and a male, and it's my guess that the surviving fledgling is the male (who I also believe is the first fledge). This is merely a guess on my part.
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