When a red-shouldered hawk found on the ground of a Virginia driveway was taken to an animal hospital, it wasn't initially clear what was wrong.
But after some investigating, the medical team figured out that "she was too darn fat to fly."
Here's what to know
The mature female hawk was found about a mile from the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke, as reported by WISN.
The wildlife center then described her examination and unexpected diagnosis in a Facebook post.
Upon arriving at the hospital, the team checked the hawk for normal causes of injury like
lead toxicity and vision issues. But after weighing the bird, it was clear that its obesity was causing health problems.
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The wildlife center wrote, "We couldn't even palpate her keel due to the heavy layer of fat covering it. It is rare for wild animals to become obese without human intervention, so how could this happen? … We asked the finder if any of her neighbors had free-ranging chickens she could be eating."
The center then said that the finder's neighbors had chickens that were vanishing and didn't know why that was happening.
"This queen was picking off the buffet of easy prey set out before her, eating her fill, and then snoozing in the trees nearby until she was ready to eat again," the wildlife center said.
What can be done?
Whether food is offered deliberately or made available unintentionally, the center urged people to avoid feeding wild animals.
Where can I learn more?
Hawks and other birds of prey sometimes need rescuing when they get trapped or injured.
• In Florida, a deputy freed a hawk trapped under a pool cover and coaxed it into flight.
• Florida firefighters pulled a red-shouldered hawk from a flooded storm drain, and he is expected to recover.
• In South Dakota, a woman in silver heels freed a trapped owl she initially mistook for a dead hawk.
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