How to Cope the Beak of a Red-Tailed Hawk

Restrain your bird by first hooding and then placing its body in a premade cast as if during a routine medical examination. Place the bird lying belly-down on the pillow with its beak and head accessible for trimming. Be gentle with the hooding and casting; all birds are fragile, even large birds of prey. Make sure that it has not eaten recently, because sharp bones in the stomach can injure it from the inside. Have a professional assistant do this step for you.

Assess the beak. Closely examine the sides to determine where the curves should be. Use your index finger on the top and thumb on the bottom to pinch the beak closed to gently manipulate and move the beak in different directions. Comparing your bird's beak to a picture of its natural shape (taken right after its initial capture) will help with assessment. Since assessing the contours of a closed beak is difficult, have your hawk bite down on a 1/4-inch wooden dowel rod. A wooden spoon also works well. Tickling the feathers by the nares will usually get her to open up her mouth.

Use the dowel rod or wooden spoon handle to hold the mandibles apart while you begin shaping the beak with the file. File only one mandible (upper or lower) at a time and only one side (left or right) at a time. Stop constantly to check progress. Pay close attention first and foremost to the comfort of the bird: Make sure that the hood is not pressing into the bird's cere and that very little or no heat is being generated by the filing. Check to make sure the shape is symmetrical.

After shaping the beak, apply a few drops of sweet almond oil with your fingertips and rub gently into the beak to rehydrate it. Apply oil as necessary to prevent drying out. If your bird has a very dry beak, apply several coats of oil a day before shaping. This will prevent cracks and flakes from forming and will make coping more comfortable for your bird.

Special maintenance is required for birds with severely overgrown beaks. Several weeks before coping, give your bird some prey to work on: a rabbit or turkey neck with meat still attached works well. Large beef bones work well since birds of prey can work on them for quite a while without actually ingesting anything. Oil the beak several times a day with sweet almond oil. Use a sharp point to draw the ideal shape onto the beak and file a little bit each day until you reach the scored lines, moisturizing after each session. Giving turkey necks regularly during a long-term coping process will not only help the beak keep its shape, but will be a good treat for your hawk.