Blue Ridge Wildlife Center Patient of the Week: Cooper’s Hawk

Photos / Blue Ridge Wildlife Center

This nestling Cooper’s Hawk was found out of its nest and brought to the Center, after multiple renesting attempts were unsuccessful. Upon exam, this baby was obviously thin and dehydrated—a sign that the parents had not returned to care for it.

This patient was soon surprised when its two siblings also came in for care. After careful monitoring, it was determined that the nest was abandoned with no parents in sight.

All siblings came in dehydrated and thin, but are now eating and developing well. After more than two weeks since intake, these birds have been moved outside to one of our small raptor enclosures to develop their flying skills.

Although these now-fledglings seem small, they are all within the weight range for an adult of their species. In a few weeks they will be moved to a larger flight cage, where they will continue to develop life skills prior to release!

Uninjured baby birds should always be renested – either in the original nest, or a man-made one. Over 75% of our renestings are successful!

A renested nestling must be checked after 24 hours to determine if it is receiving care. If there are fresh feces, an energetic chick, then the renesting may have been a success! Parents will typically stay away if a human is nearby, so NOT seeing mom/dad does not mean it was a failure. If you really need to see the parent to feel better, you can try installing a nest camera at a safe distance.

If the chick appears lethargic, there are no feces, and there are any deceased siblings, call a permitted rehabilitator for further advice, as the chick may need to come back in for care. Do NOT attempt to feed or give water to the baby while you check in with a rehabilitator.

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