Eastern Kentucky Man Pleads Guilty to Selling Protected Birds

A Breathitt County man faces two years in prison over charges that he sold a federally protected bird.Danny Gayheart of Noctor admitted that he sold the three Red-Tailed Hawks to an undercover agent in Winchester for $50 each earlier this year. But he’ll end up paying more than that to rehabilitate the two surviving birds—Gayheart agreed to more than $1600 in costs associated with rehabilitating the birds and releasing them into the wild.Red-Tailed Hawks are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, so people aren’t allowed to take, transport or sell the birds while they’re passing through.Gayheart will be sentenced in February.