SALT LAKE CITY — When a Salt Lake police officer saw a man fumbling with his hat Wednesday in downtown Salt Lake City, his investigation pulled up the unexpected — an injured bird.

The officer was on patrol near 425 S. 500 West when he saw the man accidentally drop his hat, which appeared to be heavier than normal. The officer approached the man, who spoke limited English. The man pointed at the hat while saying, “Eagle.”

When the officer looked in the hat, he saw a small bird peeking out, according to a statement from Salt Lake police.

The man managed to explain to the officer that he saw the bird get hit by a car and afterward it was unable to move, so he grabbed the bird to move it out of the way. Neither the man nor the officer could identify the bird’s species, but the officer recognized it as a protected species.

Working with Utah’s Division of Wildlife Resources, the officer took the bird to “a private animal care facility in the Salt Lake Valley,” the statement said.

The extent of the bird’s injuries is unknown. The private care facility classified the bird as a young hawk.

When anyone comes across a wild animal that appears to be injured, don’t try to catch the animal. In fact, don’t touch it at all, advised DWR spokeswoman Faith Heaton Jolley.

“Sometimes there can be disease concerns, but also, they may not know the proper way to handle the wildlife, which sometimes puts them or the animal more at risk,” Jolley said.

She advised that the person who finds the animal call DWR. If it is a holiday or weekend, Jolley said to call the local police department.

The main purpose in calling the Division of Wildlife Resources or the police department is that they have the skills and equipment needed to transport the animal to an appropriate care facility, Jolley said.

If the animal is in a roadway and can’t move, Jolley said it’s best not to move the animal, but to try and alert motorists to the animal’s presence in the road.