Female hawk found ‘too fat to fly’ after overeating and snoozing between meals

A hawk in the US state of Virginia was found unable to fly after weeks of feeding on free-ranging chickens and spending long periods sleeping between meals, wildlife rescuers said.The adult female bird, which weighed more than 910g (2lb), was discovered grounded in a homeowner’s driveway near Roanoke and taken to the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center for examination.Recuers initially investigated whether injuries or other medical conditions were preventing the hawk from flying. Their checks included tests for broken bones, lead poisoning and eye problems.However, the examination revealed that the bird had accumulated so much body fat that it could no longer take flight.“On arrival, we checked for the usual suspects: Broken bones, lead toxicity, eye issues, head trauma, emaciation, bruising from any kind of collision or altercation,” the wildlife centre said in a Facebook post.“The diagnosis: At over 910g in weight, she was too darn fat to fly! We couldn't even palpate her keel due to the heavy layer of fat covering it,” it added.Red-shouldered hawks generally weigh between 450g and 680g, making the rescued bird considerably heavier than the typical range for the species.A hawk in Virginia was found unable to fly (Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center)The centre initially considered several explanations for the bird’s condition, including whether it had escaped from captivity or had been receiving food from people.A neighbour subsequently confirmed that their chickens had been disappearing over several weeks, according to the wildlife centre.The rescuers concluded that the hawk had been repeatedly preying on the easily accessible birds, eating its fill before resting in nearby trees.“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,” the centre said.“The chickens were let out in the morning, she ate another, and repeat. After weeks of repeating this feasting and sleeping, it’s no wonder she got too fat to fly!”“Without flight, she is extremely vulnerable,” the centre said. “Moral of the story: Don’t feed wildlife … directly OR indirectly,” it said.