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June 21 (UPI) — In a remarkable observation for bird watchers in California, a pair of bald eagles has taken on the task of raising a baby red-tailed hawk alongside their own eaglet.
Jann Nichols, a contributing editor on the Friends of the Redding Eagles Facebook page, revealed that a photographer captured the moment when an eagle brought a hawklet to its nest in May. Initially, it was believed that the baby bird was intended as prey for the larger bird’s offspring.
However, upon returning a week later, the photographer was amazed to see the eagle parents caring for and feeding not only their eaglet but also the two baby hawks.
Excited by this unique avian family, Nichols began making regular trips to Santa Clara County to observe and document their behavior. Unfortunately, one of the baby hawks passed away in early June under unknown circumstances, but the eagle parents continue to raise the surviving hawklet.
During one incident, the hawklet accidentally fell from the nest but was quickly rescued by the mother eagle, displaying the nurturing nature of these extraordinary parents.
The birding community has affectionately named the hawklet “Tuffy 2” in honor of another red-tailed hawk, Tuffy, who was previously adopted by eagles in Redding, California.
According to David Hancock, an eagle biologist based in British Columbia, this kind of interspecies adoption by eagle parents is incredibly rare, with only three previous documented cases.
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