Hawk banded in Pennsylvania over 20 years ago found in Nova Scotia
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — A red-tailed hawk that was banded over 20 years ago in Pennsylvania was found 1,000 miles away in Canada, which the Game Commission says is quite the feat.
The Pennsylvania Game Commission said on Facebook that it recently learned "through the power of social media," about an injured red-tailed hawk that had been taken to Hope for Wildlife rehab center in Seaforth, Nova Scotia.
The hawk had a federal numbered leg band, which the rehab clinic learned had been placed on the hawk in November of 2004 in Berlinsville, Pennsylvania, 1,000 miles away from where it was found.
The Game Commission explained that red-tailed hawks are usually resident migrants, meaning they don't migrate every year or they only go short distances.
"For a red-tailed hawk to be banded in Pennsylvania and travel to Nova Scotia isn't unheard of but certainly a feat!" the Game Commission wrote on Facebook.
But there's more to the story. The Game Commission says if the hawk was banded in 2004 as a juvenile, that makes it over 21 years old. The average life span of a red-tailed hawk in the wild is about 12 years.
The hawk is being treated for a broken wing and muscle damage at Hope for Wildlife, where they're hopeful it'll return to the wild soon.
Hope for Wildlife posted photos of the hawk last month on Facebook, writing, "We'll do our best to get him back out to the wild. Maybe he'll fly back to Pennsylvania and spread the word about us!"