Long Island deputy saves injured red-tailed hawk on side of busy road

A badly hurt bird didn’t fly with this cop.

A Suffolk County deputy sheriff is being lauded as a local hero after rescuing a red-tailed hawk she saw injured on an Eastport road.

The female deputy pulled off on the side of County Road 51 around 7 a.m. Saturday to retrieve the distressed animal.

After managing it to safety, her office began coordinating rescue and veterinary treatment for its injuries.

The hawk was “safely transported” to STAR Foundation Wildlife Rescue in Middle Island and is currently being assessed.

The bird also has an eye for the camera and is seemingly posing for a photo with the officer by looking straight into the camera.

Red-tailed hawks are one of seven species of birds on Long Island, according to Wildlife Center LI.

There are also eight types of owls, three falcon species, one vulture, and osprey, as well as bald eagles, who call Nassau and Suffolk counties home.

The rescue follows news of a Medford man who raced into treacherous, chest-high mud to save his dog at a Smithtown park in the freezing cold last February.