On 21 November 2023, at 1130 H, in Honey Creek, Iowa, USA, I captured a wild hatch-year Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) with misshapen pupils (Fig. 1A). The pupillary margins of this hawk’s eyes were elliptical like those of a cat in daylight, rather than circular as is normal for this species (Fig. 1B). The upside-down teardrop shape of the pupils tapered in approximately the 5-o’clock location in the right eye, and 7-o’clock location in the left eye. Because I only encountered this bird when it was captured, banded, and released during fall migration, the etiology of this case is unknown.

To my knowledge, a bilateral iridial deformity in a wild and overall seemingly healthy Red-tailed Hawk is a previously unreported occurrence. My expertise in ophthalmology is limited due to my specialization as a field researcher, but I found this case noteworthy due to the...

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