One, if not the only, non-human caused reasons raptors come into care is when they are intraspecies fighting.

Intraspecies fighting is when members of the same species fight with each other. Bald Eagles in particular fight with each other over nesting territories and food. They can lock on to each others talons and crash down to the ground or trees and when they grab on to each other, they are reluctant to let go. Sometimes they just need to be scared apart and they will separate and continue on their ways. Other times they can be seriously injured and need some time to heal their wounds. We only intervene medically when absolutely needed. We try not to interfere with nature. However, with this being one of the only non-human injury we occasionally treat, we are just making up for all of the other pressures we place on wildlife.

Interspecies fighting is when two different species fight each other. This form of fighting isn’t seen as commonly here at OWL but does occur. We have had Bald Eagles grab Barn Owls, Short-eared Owls, and Osprey, just to name a few. Sometimes, the smaller raptor isn’t so lucky, but others suffer puncture wounds and require medical attention.