L.A. man behind bars for feeding alcohol to protected Cooper’s hawk

LOS ANGELES (TCN) -- A man who posted a video of himself feeding an alcoholic drink to a hawk has been sentenced to 45 days in jail and 12 months of probation, according to authorities.

KTLA reports Cesar Gustavo Diaz, 25, reportedly shared a video on YouTube of himself feeding an alcohol-containing BuzzBallz drink to a Cooper’s hawk, a bird protected under California law. One of the video stills reportedly read, “Hawk loves him some buz ball.” An investigation found he had allegedly captured the juvenile bird in June 2025.

Diaz was reportedly in custody for unrelated charges when he was charged with animal cruelty and capturing wildlife; he pleaded no contest on Feb. 19 to the charge of animal cruelty, according to KTLA. NBC News reports that the charge of capturing wildlife, a misdemeanor, was dismissed.

CBS News reports Diaz has been ordered to pay $220 in fines and complete 24 hours of animal cruelty counseling sessions. He is banned from owning animals for five years and firearms for 10 years.

Diaz allegedly released the hawk before authorities could intervene, so the bird’s condition is not known, according to KTLA.