A red-tailed hawk allegedly stolen from an Illinois zoo by young men who wanted to set him free has been recovered after six weeks on his own.

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Mani has been a resident of the Henson Robinson Zoo in Springfield for 25 years and is not used to finding his own food, the Springfield Journal-Register reported.

Bob and Michelle Cain saw Mani roosting in a tree in their backyard on Wednesday. The zoo's assistant director, Jackie Porter, knew it was the right bird when he responded as she called his name by giving out a few squawks.

"He looks good. He's very thin, but other than that, he seems to be fine," zoo director Talon Thornton said.

Thornton said that Mani lost about two pounds and would probably have gotten even thinner as the weather got cold and he had to spend more energy keeping warm.

Adam Loper, 20, of Springfield and Sean J. Coleman, 19, of Glenarm have been charged with burglary and theft. Coleman reportedly told police he wanted Mani to be "free and uncaged."