Hawk Trapped Between 2 Upper East Side Buildings Is Rescued

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An injured red-tailed hawk that became wedged between two Upper East Side buildings on Thursday is on the road to recovery thanks to a police rescue squad.

The rescue happened shortly after 2 p.m. Thursday, when a 911 caller told police that a hawk was stuck inside a two-foot crevice between two buildings on East 85th Street, between First and Second avenues.

The NYPD's emergency service unit managed to "take custody of the bird," an NYPD spokesperson said. Officers brought the hawk to the Wild Bird Fund on the Upper West Side for an examination.

The hawk is a juvenile "who seems simply to have gotten into a jam, as juveniles often do," said Catherine Quayle, a spokesperson for the Wild Bird Fund.

"Perhaps he was chasing prey or being harassed by another bird. Once inside the crevice, he couldn't fly out," Quayle said.

The hawk's predicament left him with several broken tail feathers and a swollen foot. He is also suffering from some lead toxicity, but it is unclear whether it was enough to cause his accident, Quayle said.

Before he is released, the hawk will be treated for his lead toxicity and other possible ailments, including parasites.

This winter has been an unusually treacherous one for the city's raptors: the Wild Bird Fund has taken in about 50 such birds since Nov. 1 — most of them juvenile hawks, Quayle said.

You could say this red-tailed beauty was stuck between a hawk & a hard place and in a state of shawk.

This bird of prey got stuck between two buildings—but thanks to our Emergency Services Unit was freed & brought to the @wildbirdfund, to ensure he gets back to beak performance. pic.twitter.com/uoj9PaIq3x
— NYPD 19th Precinct (@NYPD19Pct) February 18, 2021