A young red-tailed hawk was released back into the wild in Washington earlier this week, following a short rehab assignment in Iowa City. The bird had suffered injuries consistent with a window strike, and was showing signs of head trauma.
The hawk was brought to the RARE Group, a non-profit raptor rehabilitation organization in Iowa City by Burlington Animal Control. RARE stands for Raptor Advocacy, Rehabilitation and Education.
Sonja Hadenfeldt, coordinator of the RARE Group, says they were lucky to receive the bird during the migratory season, allowing them to release it in an area other than where it was found. If it was found in May or June, Hadenfeldt says that the bird would have needed to be returned to Burlington as it may have had a nest and mate already in that area…