‘Completely barbaric': Hawk found unable to fly with tail cut off, feathers sheared

A "barbaric" case of animal abuse is under investigation in central Massachusetts after a hawk was found in the bitter cold, unable to fly.

A homeowner in Paxton found the red-tailed hawk sitting on a woodpile on her property Thursday afternoon.

Noticing the bird never moved, she knew something was wrong and contacted Raptor Tails Rescue of Shrewsbury.

"I was horrified," said Jessica Zorge, founder of Raptor Tails. "I have never seen anything like that. It opened up its wings, and you could see that it had been visibly cut, all of the feathers on both wings, and the tail, completely cut off."

The hawk's tail had been cut off, and its feathers sheared. The adult male could no longer fly.

"Completely barbaric," said Zorge. "Inhumane, it is 100% animal abuse."

It's unknown how the hawk ended up like this. It's possible someone was trying to keep it as a pet and wanted to prevent it from flying away.

Where the hawk came from and how it made its way to the wood pile is anyone's guess.

"It's actually a very clean looking bird," said Zorge. "Besides the feathers being cut, it has great body condition, the feathers look wonderful, it's clean, so I feel like someone had done this and kept it in captivity."

It is illegal to keep a hawk as a pet.

Massachusetts Environmental Police tell NBC10 Boston they are investigating.

The rehab has named him Edward, as a tribute to Edward Scissorhands, the movie character who struggled with physical limitations.

"It cannot fly," said Zorge. "It cannot catch prey, it's susceptible to coyotes, other things on the ground, it never would have survived."

It could take two years or more for the feathers and tail to grow back, and then the hawk may be able to fly again, but there's no guarantee that will happen.