Oceanside

Two migrant farm workers who were arrested in Oceanside Wednesday for trying to sell two young hawks to a pet store now face deportation, police said.

Pino Lopez, 36, and his wife, Francisca, 32, allegedly tried to sell two red-shouldered hawks to the Oceanside Pet Shop Mission Center on Mission Avenue. The owner of the store called the state Fish and Game Department, and because no game wardens were available, Oceanside police were summoned to arrest the Lopezes.

“I feel badly about the incident. I didn’t want to cause the people trouble, but it was illegal,” said the store owner, who declined to give her name.

All birds of prey are protected under state and federal law. Capt. Rod Shackelford of the California Fish and Game Department said the Lopezes probably plucked the hawks, which are indigenous to the area, from their nest.

The hawks, which appeared to be two to three months old, were turned over to a wildlife rehabilitation center in Vista, where they will be prepared to return to the wild, said the center’s owner, Bob Farner.