charisstoma: (Default)
charisstoma ([personal profile] charisstoma) wrote2017-06-13 01:42 pm

Two Bald Eagles Have ‘Adopted’ a Young Red-Tailed Hawk

Two Bald Eagles Have ‘Adopted’ a Young Red-Tailed Hawk


http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/eagles-red-tailed-hawk?utm_source=Atlas+Obscura+Daily+Newsletter&utm_campaign=77f3000a43-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_06_13&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f36db9c480-77f3000a43-63124913&ct=t(Newsletter_06_13_2017)&mc_cid=77f3000a43&mc_eid=dbc2f66964




A pair of bald eagles there are raising up a red-tailed hawk—normally a rival species—alongside their own three chicks, the Vancouver Sun reports.

A heartfelt attempt to help out some neighbors? Probably not. The eagles likely kidnapped the baby hawk, intending to feed it to their own children, raptor specialist David Bird told the Sun. When it survived the trip and started peeping, they just started feeding it instead. (This theory is supported by retroactive photo evidence, which indicates that there were once at least two hawk chicks in the nest.)

A video by Christian Sasse shows the brave youngster, which is smaller and scruffier than its adoptive siblings, gleefully taking food from the bloody beak of one of its parents. Observers say the hawk is more than able to fend for itself—and that at times, the eagle chicks even seem to defer to it, the Sun reports.



Long video and the photographers don't see the hawklet yet at half way through. Ah from comments it does show up, 35.30. And it's crop is full per the commentary. It'll fledge in estimate 7 -10 days and eaglets later in July. This was recorded mid June.

Hancockwildlife.org

[personal profile] theotherdibbler 2017-06-14 09:18 am (UTC)(link)
Did you ever read Animorphs? One of the characters gets permanently stuck as a Red-tailed Hawk, and his girlfriend can morph into a bald eagle, so this made me think of that. XD

[personal profile] theotherdibbler 2017-06-16 02:47 am (UTC)(link)
I love that movie! I have it on VHS, but my VCR no longer works, and I haven't been able to find it on DVD. :(

[personal profile] theotherdibbler 2017-06-16 07:53 am (UTC)(link)
Yeah, DVDs are zone-locked by region. There's a bunch of things I can't get on DVD because they haven't been released in my region, but have been elsewhere. :(