Watch: Bald eagles welcome red-tailed hawk chick into nest

A pair of bald eagles in British Columbia are raising a red-tailed hawk chick in their nest. A nest camera put out by the wildlife rescue society Growls captured the moment an adult eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) dropped the hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) into its nest on Gabriola Island. Scientists believe the eagle took the hawk from a nearby nest to feed to its eaglets. But when the chick began begging for food, the eagles treated it as one of its own. The chick was even seen taking food out of the eagle’s beak. It is expected to fledge from the nest in the coming weeks. Incidents like these, while uncommon, have also been noted in the past, including previously in British Columbia. In 2018, a hawk chick successfully fledged from an eagle’s nest alongside three young eagles in the town of Sidney.

View live footage of the nest here and watch a video below.

Header Image: A pair of bald eagles are raising a red-tailed hawk into their nest. Credit: Sharon (takingtimephotography.com)/Growls via Facebook