Auburn’s indoor football facility hosts unexpected visitor

An unexpected visitor found its way into Auburn football territory last week.

According to the Auburn University Raptor Center, a Cooper’s hawk flew inside Auburn University’s indoor football practice facility and became trapped.

While sightings of the fast, agile raptor are common across Alabama’s forests and neighborhoods, large enclosed buildings can make escape difficult once a bird gets inside.

Built for speed not buildings

Cooper’s hawks are built for speed and precision. With short, rounded wings for quick turns and long tails that help with steering, they are highly skilled hunters known for chasing smaller birds through dense trees and wooded neighborhoods.

That same hunting instinct, however, can sometimes lead them into warehouses, gymnasiums and other large indoor spaces while pursuing prey. Once inside a structure designed for people rather than wildlife, finding a clear path back out can be difficult.

Wildlife experts say situations like this are not unusual, especially in areas where development overlaps with natural habitat. Birds of prey often follow food sources into unfamiliar environments, occasionally becoming trapped in the process.

Recovery + rehabilitation

The hawk remained inside the facility for five days before the Raptor Center team safely captured her using a specialized indoor rescue trap. Rescues like this require careful timing and minimal stress to prevent injury to the bird.

After the rescue, the hawk was treated for dehydration and low body weight, two common concerns for raptors that become trapped indoors without reliable access to food or water. The Raptor Center reports she is expected to make a full recovery.

Moments like this highlight the work of the Auburn University Raptor Center, and in this Cooper’s hawk’s case, that work is already leading to recovery.

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