Sighting of rare hawk draws eager birders to Maine

BIDDEFORD, Maine – Bird lovers are driving from hundreds of miles away for a rare chance to see a species of non-native hawk in southern Maine.

Maine Audubon naturalist Doug Hitchcox says the great black hawk might be the most unusual bird identified in the state in decades. It was seen in Biddeford on Thursday. The bird’s native to Central and South America.

The Portland Press Herald reports Maine birders annually identify three or four birds that have never been seen in the state before. However, Hitchcox says only twice in the fast four decades has a bird been found in Maine that’s rarely or never seen in the U.S.

The hawk stands about 2 feet tall. Hitchcox says it’s unclear how it got to Maine. One was seen in Texas earlier this year.