Broad-Winged Hawk Found Dead: The Hidden Danger of Rat Poison

I wish I was showing you this beautiful Broad Winged Hawk alive but unfortunately within minutes of us being called and we met the concerned citizen who found him, the bird had died.

Birder and Nature Photographer, David Steffan Huggins who assisted us in confirming the species noted that this is a migratory bird who usually comes all the way from North America to spend its winters in the warmer climate. They're usually found in Tobago but can be found in Trinidad as well.

As there are no signs of being shot or physical injury our initial suspicion is that he was unfortunately poisoned. While we await confirmation on its cause of death we wanted to take this time to remind our fellow citizens the dangers of using poison regardless of the findings.

We understand rats and mice are a nuisance and nobody wants them around, especially with their ability to carry diseases but we should remember that raptors and birds of prey naturally deal with these pests in the environment. When the mice and rats are poisoned, and eventually eaten by these birds, they too would ingest the poison and be affected by it. Please be mindful of the secondary effects of what may seem to be innocent actions.

When people kill or capture these protected animals they affect the natural ecosystems that we have and in turn we would see an increase in rats and mice as we remove their predators from the environment. While many people fear snakes and often unnecessarily so, they play a vital role in the environment by controlling populations of rats and mice around our home. Snakes are also protected by law for these reasons.

Please consider your actions and how they affect the ecosystem and biodiversity of our country, and in turn how that affects our lives. We will provide an update as soon as a necropsy report becomes available.