It is only the second time since the establishment of the KFBG Wild Animal Rescue Centre in 1994 that a Eurasian Hobby has arrived from being rescued and then been rehabilitated and released. 



The raptor was rescued by AFCD at Mai Po on 11th November 2018. During the health check, our rescue team found the bird to be bright and slightly underweight but with no serious injuries. After more than a week of rehabilitation and evaluation, it was eventually deemed fit to return to the wild on 23rd November to continue its annual migration.

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The Eurasian Hobby looks like a smaller version of the Peregrine Falcon with chestnut-coloured lower abdomen and under-tail feathers. In flight, these falcons look like giant swifts owing to their long pointed wings and fast flight. Hunting on the wing, they prey on large insects like dragonflies, and small birds like swallows. They do not build their own nest, but use unoccupied nests of crows and magpies to lay eggs.

It is not common to see this species flying through Hong Kong in spring and autumn while migrating between its north Asian breeding grounds and more southern wintering grounds. So it is a privilege to give it a helping hand.