Two rehabilitated Swainson’s hawks have been released back into the wild by Calgary Wildlife as the birds prepare for their annual migration to South America. The two hawks were released at different locations Thursday after receiving treatment and care to ensure they were healthy and strong enough to make the journey. One of the birds was a juvenile that arrived at Calgary Wildlife after striking glass. “He had a little bit of an injury to one eye that we treated and then he was very skinny, so he was a juvenile, so we just had to beef him up a bit so he could do the migration,” said Kyla Rae, interim manager of animal care and services with Calgary Wildlife. The second hawk was an adult that was found injured for unknown reasons, according to Calgary Wildlife. The birds were among 14 Swainson’s hawks admitted to Calgary Wildlife this year. The organization has cared for more than 2,100 wild animals in 2026. Timing critical for migration Swainson’s hawks spend the summer in Alberta before travelling thousands of kilometres south for the winter. “They have the longest migratory route of any of the hawk or raptor species, so all the way down to South America, Argentina,” said Beki Hunt, executive director of Calgary Wildlife. Hunt said the birds can travel roughly 10,000 kilometres each way and use rising columns of warm air to conserve energy as they migrate in groups. It’s a journey that can take anywhere from 42 to 98 days and for rehabilitated birds, getting the timing right is critical. Calgary Wildlife says releasing a bird too late can leave it without enough energy to complete the journey. Rae said the hawks also need to be physically ready before they are released. “If we release them too late, sometimes they’ll lose too much weight and then they’re not able to do the migration because they don’t have enough energy stores,” she said. One of the hawks spent two weeks in quarantine after arriving at Calgary Wildlife. Staff treated its injured eye with medicated drops and monitored its recovery. The bird initially struggled to eat and regain its balance but as it became stronger, staff gradually increased the amount of space available to it, eventually moving it into a large flight pen. “Once he decided that he wanted to start feeding himself, we knew that this was a good time to release the animal back into the wild,” Rae said. Calgary Wildlife urges public to report injured birds The organization says window strikes can be particularly dangerous for birds, even when they appear to recover immediately after a collision. Hunt said birds can be attracted to city lights during migration and become disoriented around buildings and windows. “There’s been some new studies over the past few years noting that at least 60% of window strike birds actually will end up succumbing to their injuries,” Hunt said. Rae added that birds can also hide signs that they have been hurt. “They will fly off and hide somewhere, but with, with impacts like that with either vehicles or glass, they can have pretty severe brain trauma,” she said. Calgary Wildlife recommends contacting a wildlife rehabilitation centre as soon as possible after finding an injured bird, including one that appears to have recovered after a window strike. The organization says people can also help birds of prey by protecting mature nesting trees and native habitat and avoiding unnecessary pesticide and rodent-control products. For the rehabilitation team, seeing the birds return to the wild is well worth all of the effort. “It’s pretty amazing. It’s one of the most rewarding jobs I’ve ever had,” Rae said. “Especially when we get to do these releases. It’s really nice to be able to know that we’ve done good work and we’re able to put something back where it belongs.”
