The Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center said on social media that the adult red-shouldered hawk was found apparently grounded in a resident’s driveway about a mile away from the center in Roanoke. Rescuers checked the hawk for broken bones, lead toxicity, eye issues, head trauma, emaciation, and bruising, but determined she showed no signs of injury. Veterinarians at the center’s wildlife hospital examined the bird to get to the bottom of the mystery and determined that being overweight was the problem. The resident who found the hawk questioned her neighbors and discovered that another resident’s free-roaming chickens were disappearing at an alarming rate over the last few weeks. Veterinarians said the hawk tipped the scales at 2 pounds — nearly an entire pound heavier than the average weight for a normal female of the species. That would be like a 160-pound man weighing in at 320 pounds! “This queen was picking off the buffet of easy prey set out before her, eating her fill, and then snoozing in the trees nearby until she was ready to eat again,” said rescue officials. The hawk is now on a weight-loss diet, and the center urged residents to avoid indirectly feeding wildlife by keeping chicken coops covered.
