Gilly
Harris' Hawk Ambassador
Male
2023 / Fledgling
Gunshot wound
About Gilly
Gilly arrived as a fledgling with a severe fracture to her right humerus. Radiographs confirmed she had been shot. Surgery was performed to remove the pellet and set the fracture. Once healed, the elbow had a severe loss of range of motion, making flight impossible. Due to her inability to fly, Gilly is non-releasable and has become a welcome addition to the team.
Description
Also known as the "Wolves of the Sky", Harris’s hawks can be found in the southwestern United States (Arizona, New Mexico, and Texas) through Central America and into the drier parts of South America. In Arizona, its range typically extends only as far north as Wickenburg. The Harris’ hawk is one of only two hawks known to hunt in a cooperative group manner (The Galapagos hawk is the other). It displays one of the most advanced group hunting tactics among birds.
Life Span
The average life expectancy of the Harris’ hawk has been estimated to be up to 12 years in the wild and twice as long in captivity.
Prey / Food
The majority of its prey consists of mammals such as cottontail rabbits, jackrabbits, rats, ground squirrels, gophers. Their diet is also supplemented by birds, primarily Gambel’s quail, and reptiles.
Babies / Food
Nests of sticks and other materials are built in or on top of solid structures such as trees, saguaros, electric or telephone poles. The female usually lays 3 to 4 eggs and incubation lasts between 31 and 36 days. The young fledge in about 40 days.
Native American Folklore
Native peoples throughout north America, consider Hawk as an important symbol of wisdom, courage, strength and freedom. Hawk appears in Native stories, dances, and ceremonies as a messenger from the spirit world, moving between the Creator and humankind, conveying wisdom and warnings from above. Like Hawk soaring overhead, the Creator watches over the world below and communicates through winged messengers.
Hawk’s most celebrated attribute among Native people is his mastery of flight. Seeing Hawk slowly circling overhead signals a time for reflection, to acknowledge the Creator’s presence and seek higher guidance. The hunting Hawk teaches that patience is the pathway to enlightenment.
Hawk’s incredibly sharp eyesight symbolizes the wisdom that allows Hawk the ability to foresee events and opportunities that others cannot. Hawk uses his powerful eyesight to gain perceptive knowledge.
Stories depicting Hawk’s sharp eyesight are common in Native folklore. In one Cherokee story, Hawk warns villagers of impending danger approaching from afar that no one else could see. Hawk’s vigilance and vision saved the tribe, emphasizing the values of foresight and preparedness.
Natives use Hawk in their religious rituals as he possesses the power and strength to carry prayers to the Creator. Elders smoke ceremonial pipes toward the sky to send tobacco smoke up to messengers like Hawk.
Hawk is a symbol of physical power and authority equivalent to chiefs and warriors. Hawk’s sharp talons and beak evolved for hunting. Braves wear hawk talons and feathers to invoke the bird’s swiftness and predatory capabilities. In ledger drawings, braves are often depicted with hawk talons and feathers to show their status as mighty warriors.
Navajo people believe that Hawk is the companion of the sun, and his flight patterns across the sky represent sunshine spreading across the earth.
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