Raptors, or birds of prey, are classified as predatory birds that hunt and kill their food with their talons, instead of their beaks. Armed with a wide range of unique abilities, raptors are the supreme hunters of the sky, as well as the top of the food chain. These abilities include: a razor sharp beak and talons which allow them to snatch up prey as they fly by, incredible vision and hearing helping them spot food as small as a mouse from up to 100 feet away, and unrivaled flying abilities, sometimes reaching speeds in excess of 100 mph. Unfortunately, this doesn’t mean they’re invulnerable. With mankind expanding into their natural habitat and hunting grounds, dangers are arising beyond those of the natural world. Barbed wire fences, automobiles, poachers, and new diseases are among the long list of dangers they encounter in the modern world. Luckily, there are people who devote their lives to rescuing, rehabilitating, and re-releasing these majestic animals back into the skies they call home.
This is the story of a Swainson’s hawk that was reported injured to the Colorado Division of Wildlife, rescued by DOW officer Kyle Banks, then taken to the Birds of Prey Foundation in Broomfield where it was provided with the otherwise impossible second chance to fly again.
