Feds: N.J. man admits illegally shooting migratory hawks

A South Jersey man admitted to shooting four different species of federally protected hawks from his property in 2012 and 2013, the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey said Tuesday.

Robert Losasso, 69, of Somers Point, admitted that he fatally shot or attempted to kill the migratory birds between December 2012 and April 2013, the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.

In six instances listed in a court charging document, Losasso targeted four different species: red-tailed hawks on three different occasions; a sharp-shinned hawk; a red-shouldered hawk; and a Cooper's hawk.

"These species are among the tens of thousands of birds of prey that migrate every year from Canada along the Atlantic Flyway through New Jersey," the prosecutor's office said. "Losasso also admitted that he didn't have any permit to shoot the birds."

Losasso entered a guilty plea Tuesday in federal court in Newark and faces up to six months in prison and $15,000 in fines. He agreed to pay more than $4,000 in restitution to local wildlife rehabilitation centers for expenses associated with treating or euthanizing hawks injured.