Wounds and Fractures Consistent with Gunshot Injury
That phrase has been used 31 times in 2018 and included 24 raptors, representing nine species, ranging from a Bald Eagle to a tiny American Kestrel and a Western Screech Owl. There were ten Red-tailed Hawks, our most common large hawk. Of the 31 birds, 23 were euthanized on admission, three have been released and five are still in recovery and will hopefully be releasable.
The entrance wound in a gunshot bird is usually a small round hole. Often the projectile pushes feathers or other debris into the wound channel. The exit wound is much larger and irregular in shape. Bones tend to shatter into multiple pieces. If the projectile is lead, metal fragments are often visible along the wound channel.
Red-tailed Hawk 18-569
18-569 was found in a field south of Pilot Rock with a suspicious wound on the left elbow. A radiograph showed a badly damaged elbow, small metal fragments, a fractured ulna and damage in the left wrist.
Further examination of the wing found both the entrance and exit wounds.
Cooper’s Hawk 18-582
18-582 was found in a yard in a residential area of Othello, WA. He also had a suspicious looking wound on the left elbow. A radiograph showed hairline fractures in the ulna and a badly damaged elbow.
Further examination revealed both entrance and exit wounds.
Why do People Shoot Hawks?
Red-tailed Hawks are best suited for catching ground quarry such as rodents, or snakes and lizards. They aren’t very good at catching birds, but sometimes we humans make it fairly easy. We’ve introduced pheasants so they can be hunted. The pheasants do just fine if we give them a place to live with lots of cover. When we cut and bale the hay or harvest the wheat, the pheasants lose their cover, and are sitting ducks, so to speak, for the hawks.
The short broad wing and long narrow tail of the Cooper’s Hawk make them well suited for hunting birds. Even so, their failures far out-number their successful pursuits. When we put bird feeders in our yard to attract songbirds, we also attract their predators. Its as if there was a big sign that says “Free Food Here.”
We need to consider all the consequences of our actions, and then not blame the hawks for taking advantage of the situation we have created, or we can simply obey the law and not shoot protected species.
