Flash arrived at the Alaska Raptor Center from Fairbanks, Alaska after suffering a gunshot injury to her right wing. Underweight and searching for food, she had tried to enter a chicken coop. Due to the severity of her injury, the tip of her wing had to be amputated, leaving her unable to fly and return to the wild. Flash became an educational ambassador in 2017 and now lives in an outdoor display enclosure.

Flash arrived at the Center as a first-year bird, sporting the striped, brown plumage typical of juveniles. As she matured, she molted into the striking gray feathers of an adult. Like other American Goshawks, she is naturally elusive and often stays at the back of her enclosure, out of sight. In the wild, these birds spend most of their time in dense forests, which provide excellent cover and make them difficult to spot.