Chance sighting

In the early morning of May 1 last year, wildlife photographer Zhang Ge, while bird-watching on the north shore of Guanting Reservoir, which is near Wild Duck Lake, noticed a raptor on the ground behaving unusually, surrounded by a congregation of magpies.

Zhang told Beijing Youth Daily that with 15 years of bird-watching experience he immediately recognized the bird as a short-toed snake eagle, a raptor comparatively rare in Beijing. Despite magpies typically driving away raptors, the eagle, with disheveled feathers, did not take flight during the confrontation but instead hopped around on the ground, seeking refuge in nearby reeds.

Approaching cautiously, Zhang managed to scare off the magpies and found the eagle lying on the ground, unable to fly due to injuries. Wearing gloves, he covered the eagle's eyes with a cloth bag, gently picked it up and placed it in his car.

The eagle showed no resistance during the encounter, indicating its weakened state. By around 10 am, Zhang arrived at the center in Beijing Normal University and handed the eagle over to the rehabilitator, Zhou Lei.

In the past, Zhang had encountered injured birds of prey and tried to send them to rescue centers, but the birds died on the way. This was his first close encounter with a raptor that was rescued successfully, and he hoped that through professional care, the eagle would soar once again.

In China, raptors are classified as first or second-class wildlife under State protection, playing a crucial role in maintaining ecological balance. Beijing serves as both a habitat for raptors and an important stopover site on their migration routes.

The short-toed snake eagle, also known as the short-toed eagle, is a medium-sized raptor that can be found in Europe, Asia and Africa. It is a rare migratory bird in Beijing. It typically inhabits hilly areas, open grasslands or areas with sparse trees, feeding mainly on reptiles such as snakes, lizards and frogs, occasionally preying on small rodents such as wild rabbits and mice.

"When I saw the eagle, my heart sank — it was barely moving, with very weak vital signs," Zhou recalled. "Thankfully, its eyes were open, and although its claws were slightly shorter than those of similar-sized raptors, it could still move slightly."

Zhou and her colleagues immediately gave the bird a comprehensive health check. Upon examination, they found that the eagle was malnourished, with underdeveloped chest muscles and several soft tissue injuries. Its beak was unusually long, indicating possible previous human captivity.

"Most concerning were the few remaining primary flight feathers — only about one and a half primary feathers were left out of the original 20," Zhou said, adding that some feathers were broken at the base, while others were broken in the middle, rendering it unable to fly and hunt effectively.

On the first day, they treated the bird's injuries on its breast and a toe, and cut short an unusually long part of its beak.