HAWK TOO FAT TO FLY

The real news

The story, straight

A hawk hunts other animals for food. Leave chickens exposed, and a predator can find dinner without much effort.

In Roanoke, Virginia, that arrangement apparently worked rather too well.

UPI reports that an adult female red-shouldered hawk was found apparently grounded in a driveway near the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center. Rescuers checked for broken bones, lead toxicity and other problems.

They found no signs of injury.

The centre's veterinarians concluded she was “too darn fat to fly.”

Her hunting grounds help explain it. The resident who found her asked neighbours and learned that another resident's free-roaming chickens had been disappearing.

The centre described the hawk eating easy prey, then snoozing in nearby trees until she wanted another meal.

An all-you-can-eat buffet is a bold business model when the customer can eat the business.

The hawk is now on a weight-loss diet. No release has been reported.

The centre urged residents to cover chicken runs: leaving prey accessible can indirectly feed wildlife, even when nobody intends to.

The useful ending isn't a miracle fitness plan. It's a bird receiving care and a practical change chicken owners can make.

Put a cover over the buffet before the next customer needs ground transport.

Source: https://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2026/11/02/red-shouldered-hawk-too-fat-to-fly/8221793653698/

Repost this for anyone whose chicken security consists of asking the hawk nicely.

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