BARRIE, ONT. -- Provincial police are keeping an eagle eye out for a stolen pet hawk from Ramara that went missing from its home on Wednesday.

Devon Black says he's a falconer and got the hawk, named Arsenal, when he was 12 days old in July 2020.

Black says his girlfriend put the ferruginous hawk on its leash on the front porch, where it spends its days unaccompanied, and when she went back a few hours later to check on him the bird was gone.

According to Black, it's unlikely Arsenal freed himself.

Black says his pet hawk is an imprinted bird, fed on a strict schedule, so if he had gotten free, he would have returned by now for his feeding.

He says it's possible Arsenal may be lost, adding that he doesn't have homing strength and wouldn't be able to find his way back.  Police add that "in the unlikely event" the bird got loose, his tether should still be attached to his leg.

Still, Black feels there is enough evidence to suggest someone took the bird, noting they found footprints in the snow near Arsenal's perch with a trail leading back to the road.

Police are investigating the matter as a theft and ask anyone with information to come forward.  They say the hawk was taken from the Ramara residence between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Wednesday.