Bald eagles raise baby hawk in 2nd recorded instance in B.C.
CTV
A pair of bald eagles in British Columbia have taken the extremely unusual step of adopting a baby red-tailed hawk into their nest, according to the Gabriola Rescue of Wildlife Society
The birds are located on Gabriola Island, just off Vancouver Island, where the nesting bald eagles have been raising their own offspring.
Experts say the baby hawk was brought to the eagle's nest to be used as food, and that a 24/7 camera that was set up to monitor the eagles caught the moment it happened.
However, after the baby eagles didn't eat the hawk, the parents began to take it under their wing, both metaphorically and literally.
The baby red-tailed hawk is shown on a live camera. (Sasse Photos/YouTube)
A similar incident occurred in Sidney, B.C., in 2017. It was the first time ever that bald eagles were recorded raising a baby hawk instead of eating it in the province.
At the time, there was some debate about how that young hawk got into the eagle nest in Sidney.
The prevailing theory was that the hawk was brought to the nest to be used as prey, which seems to be the case this year.
"This should put to rest any alternative hypotheses as to how these young hawks find themselves in eagle nests," said GROWLS in a release Friday.
