Young Red-tailed Hawk
December 18, 2024
This subadult Red-tailed hawk damaged their primary feathers while trying to free themselves from a trap. The young raptor could no longer fly and was brought to PAWS Wildlife Rehabilitation Center for care. While birds naturally replace their feathers through natural molt cycles, keeping this patient in captivity for so long during a critical developmental stage would have been detrimental to their welfare. Instead, the PAWS team utilized a technique called imping to expedite their recovery. This delicate process entails the careful splicing of intact feathers from a deceased hawk onto the shafts of the impaired ones. Fortunately, this individual’s mangled feathers could be successfully imped, and they were returned to the wild after only a short stint in rehabilitation.
Feathers are remarkable yet fragile structures that can be rendered useless by improper care. If you encounter a wild bird that seems to have damaged, soiled or entrapped its feathers in any way, please contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitation center for assistance!