Central Park

The Daily Plant : Tuesday, January 19, 2016

Hawk Released In Central Park

Daniel Avila

On the afternoon of Friday, January 15, 2016, the non-profit organization Wild Bird Fund released a rehabilitated red-tailed hawk in Central Park. The Buteo jamaicensis came to Wild Bird Fund from the Manhattan Animal Care Center where it was discovered to have been suffering from dehydration. Wild Bird Fund rehabilitators treated the hawk and successfully got the bird of prey back on its wings.

The red-tailed hawk is probably the most common hawk in North America. At the top of the food chain, the birds can hunt animals twice their weight and can reach diving speeds of up to 120 miles per hour. Their visual acuity is easily five times better than ours, and they can even see ultraviolet light. With these abilities, there’s not much that the red-tailed hawk needs to fear — except buildings.