A resident red-tailed hawk at the North Island Wildlife Recovery Centre has died.
Petra was “known for her gentle nature and calm presence,” the centre said in a Facebook post.
“Her kind demeanour touched everyone who had the privilege of working with her.”
The centre says her absence will be felt by staff, volunteers and visitors, and that her spirit and lessons will have a lasting impact on the centre.
“Fly free beautiful girl – your journey continues on open skies,” the post said.
A previous post by the centre said that Petra had injuries that didn’t allow them to be released, so NIWRA would be their forever home.
Red-tailed hawks are “probably the most common hawk in North America,” according to the Cornell Lab.
“The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk.”
The lab also says it is one of the largest birds you can see in North America, but the biggest female will weigh in at about three pounds.
“The oldest known wild Red-tailed Hawk was at least 30 years, 8 months old when it was found in Michigan in 2011, the same state where it had been banded in 1981,” Cornell Lab says on an information page about red-tailed hawks.
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Laura has been working with CHEK since 2021 and is a graduate from Langara College’s journalism program. Previously she has worked at Page One Publishing and CFAX 1070.
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