A Hawk Found at a Water Treatment Facility

Raptors face an almost never-ending number of challenges. We are all too familiar with the common ones: cars, broken wings, and poisoning. Many of these are why nearly 80% of raptors don’t survive their first year of life. Here at the Carolina Raptor Center, however, we often encounter raptors in scenarios that are almost impossible to imagine. 

On December 29, 2025, just before the new year, a juvenile Red-Shouldered Hawk was brought to us after an unusual situation. Patient #27525 was found at a water treatment facility in a large basin of untreated sewage. Staff at the facility were able to safely remove the bird from the basin and attempted to clean and release it back into the wild. Unfortunately, the bird was unable to fly away, likely due to severely soiled feathers. That is when they contacted the Carolina Raptor Center for help. A dedicated member of CRC’s volunteer Raptor Rescue Team arrived at the facility and brought the raptor to our hospital. 

Despite everything the bird had endured, the hawk arrived at the Raptor Hospital bright, alert, and responsive. Our hospital staff quickly got to work cleaning the raptor. Due to the nature of the situation and for the safety of our team, every staff member involved wore personal protective equipment, including gowns, gloves, and respirators. 

After what amounted to a “spa day” with multiple baths and time in an incubator for drying, this hawk began to look like itself again. The next step was ensuring the bird was otherwise healthy so it could begin the rehab process to be released back into the wild as soon as possible. 

To protect the health of our patients, we test a fecal sample from every bird admitted to our hospital. The fecal sample from this hawk revealed an intestinal parasitic infection. While it is unclear whether the infection was related to the sewage incident, it is easily treatable with medication in our Raptor Hospital. 

Once a follow-up fecal test confirms the parasites are gone, this Red-Shouldered Hawk will move into a 60-foot flight enclosure to rebuild strength and practice flight until it is ready for release.