The rare raptor was residing in Deering Oaks Park the past few weeks and was found by passersby who said it was unable to stand and who contacted Avian Haven in Freedom, which specializes in the rehabilitation of wild birds.

Before this year, a great black hawk – a raptor native to Central and South American – had never been seen in Maine and was extremely rare in the United States.

A great black hawk believed to be the same bird found Sunday first appeared in Maine on Aug. 9, only the second time the bird had ever been seen in the U.S., according to Maine Audubon Naturalist Doug Hitchcox.

Avian Haven co-owner Diane Winn said the injured hawk that was found in the snow in Deering Oaks Park appeared to have frostbite on its feet, although frostbite can “take a while to declare itself.”

She said it looked like frostbite, but it was uncertain if the bird could be released or would be released because frostbite can result in longterm damage to a bird’s feet.

Winn also said that if the bird proves healthy enough after treatment to be released into the wild, it is uncertain if or where it would be returned – that decision would be “primarily up to (the Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife).”

The people who found the bird Sunday contacted Avian Haven and the center sent its wildlife transport crew with assistance from Maine Game Wardens Justin Fowlie and Chris Roy, according to Avian Haven.

After a four-hour journey in the snowstorm Sunday, the bird received care at Avian Haven in Freedom – 30 miles northeast of Augusta – for what appeared frostbitten feet, and was put in an intensive care unit for the night.

Further tests were being conducted Monday.