Update to the update, Raptor edition:

outa my hands now. Gonna be a longer stay as well. 

This 2-3 year old Red-tailed Hawk was brought into the rehab center on Monday after being found near Rt 30 in Valparaiso. A slow response time and slight head ticks suggest it sustained head trauma, likely from being hit by a vehicle. What's more is the damage done to its feathers. During admission exams, feather quality is always examined and taken into consideration when assessing a bird.

As you can see below this bird is missing multiple primary feathers on each wing. These feather shafts are actually snapped off as opposed to being new growth from molt. This damage will take a long time to repair itself as we will need to wait for new feathers to grow in. This bird will likely be in our care through winter and into next spring as a result of this feather damage.

As with all of our birds of prey, a blood draw was also performed to test for lead toxicity. We will know more in a few short days if there is any lead in this birds system.

From HERE