Nature is full of anomalies.
One such anomaly — a very rare type of hawk — was rescued in Pennsylvania a few weeks ago.
The York Daily Record reports how the hawk was found by an unknown Good Samaritan last month near a creek in Mercersburg, Franklin County.
“Somehow it had gotten into some type of oil,” says state game warden, Philip Bietsch, who was later alerted to the injured bird. “It couldn’t fly.”
After getting the hawk cleaned up, the York Daily Record continues to report that Bietsch confirmed it was of the red-tailed variety, a common species in North America which the National Audubon Society describes as “bulky and broad-winged.”
But what made this particular red-tailed hawk so special was that it was leucistic, a rare genetic occurrence defined by Merriam-Webster as “an abnormal condition of reduced pigmentation affecting various animals (such as birds, mammals, and reptiles) that is marked by overall pale color.”
In other words, instead of being the species’ typical brown and dark red coloring, this hawk was far lighter.
“It’s definitely the first one I’ve seen,” adds Bietsch.
PhillyVoice continues to report that the hawk — a female — was eventually transported to the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center in Washington Boro, Lancaster County to receive proper treatment.
“We feel that she is on the road to recovery and is making progress every day,” reads a post published to the center’s Facebook page. “We are hopeful for a full recovery and to get her back into the skies once again.”
