Can a hawk die from broken feathers? The answer is "yes"... if those broken feathers keep the hawk from flying. If it cannot fly, it cannot hunt live prey and can starve to death.
This hawk was lucky because someone found it and contacted Soarin' Hawk. Most of its flight feathers on one wing were broken. It was so emaciated and weak it was probably only a couple days away from dying.
Treatment consists of tube feeding a gruel made for the critical care of carnivores such as Hawks. He was fed this for two days and tonight has his first piece of meat, without bones or skin. He readily ate! He will be fed plain meat for a couple days then be offered whole prey. Since he is so thin, he will be kept inside until he puts on some weight. He would not do well outside in the cold as thin as he is.
He cannot be released until he goes through a natural molt and replaces those feathers...which could take 6 months to a year! So he will be with us for quite a while!
Please monitor his progress at 11272016-red-tailed-hawk-2
