Central Park

The Daily Plant : Monday, June 25, 2007

All's Well That Ends Well: Drama of Baby Hawk Ends as "Ziggy" is Reunited with Parents

Photo by Malcolm Pinckney

Last Wednesday, a week after falling from its 7th Avenue nest and landing near the Ziegfeld Theater on 55th Street, Ziggy, a 7-week-old baby red-tailed hawk, was reunited with his parents in Central Park.

"The story of Ziggy the baby hawk got a happy ending, thanks to the Urban Park Rangers, wildlife rehabilitator Bobby Horvath, and the bonds between parents and offspring in the wild kingdom," said Commissioner Benepe. "New Yorkers were enraptured by this story of a baby hawk in distress, and the happy ending is a reminder that our parks are great places for living things of many species."

On June 13th, Ziggy was found on the concrete streets of New York alone, pre-flight, and only able to hop and flutter. New Yorkers, including former Parks Commissioner Gordon J. Davis who created the Urban Park Rangers in 1979, quickly alerted the Parks Department of the downed fledgling. The Urban Park Rangers, the Parks Department’s force of naturalists and wildlife experts, and Bobby Horvath, a renowned wildlife rehabilitator, took the hawk into custody where under six days of watchful supervision, the baby hawk emerged from shock and strengthened its wings and flying capabilities by practicing in a flight cage.

On June 19th, amid a crowd of reporters and curious passerbys, Ziggy was released at the Heckscher Ballfields in the southwest corner of Central Park. After peering at his surroundings and hopping for several minutes, Ziggy flew up into a nearby maple tree and started calling for his parents, Pale Male Jr. and Charlotte. Within 24 hours, Urban Park Rangers stationed in the area reported the loud screeching sounds of an adult red tail hawk and the appearance of Charlotte, his mother. Over the next several hours, Charlotte brought a deceased pigeon to the hungry Ziggy, and Pale Male, Jr. appeared soaring overhead to complete the family reunion.

Red-tailed hawks are native to New York City. Only about 25-50% of young hawks make it through the first year of life. The Parks Department urges New Yorkers to follow three simple rules when encountering wildlife in New York City: 1) Do not feed wildlife. 2) Report it. 3) Educate yourself.

Robert Lynd

(1879 - 1949)

Know Before You Go

Harlem Meer Center (formerly Lasker Rink)

Harlem Meer Center