Hawks are wild birds of prey that are not typically considered to be pets or form bonds with humans. However, some unique relationships between hawks and humans have been documented that show these birds may have more capacity for companionship than commonly thought. This article explores whether hawks have the ability to form meaningful connections with people and if they can truly be considered “friends.”
Reasons why hawks are not usually friends with humans
Hawks are wild animals
Hawks are predatory birds that exist in the wild. Unlike domesticated animals like dogs or cats that have evolved to live alongside humans, hawks retain their wild instincts. This means they are not dependent on people for food or shelter. Hawks follow their innate behaviors and natural urges rather than human direction. Their survival needs take precedence over bonding with humans.
Hawks have not been bred to be tame
Unlike some bird species like parrots, hawks have not undergone selective breeding to produce tame or companionable traits. Breeding programs for pets select for docility, ability to bond with humans, and comfort with captivity. Hawks still exhibit the fierce independence and wariness of their wild forebears. This makes them ill-suited to be traditional companion animals.
Hawks are carnivorous hunters
With their powerful talons and sharp beaks, hawks are designed by evolution to be effective hunters and killers of prey. Their instincts drive them to hunt, capture, and consume live animals. This predatory nature makes hawks inclined to perceive pets and even humans as potential prey in some situations. Building friendship between predator and companion animal is very challenging.
Hawks are not social animals
Unlike pack animals like dogs or herd animals like horses, hawks are largely solitary in nature. They do not have complex social structures and communication methods that allow for bonding behaviors. Hawks’ primary interactions with their own kind involve defending territory and reproducing. They do not have a biological drive to form affectionate relationships outside of mating pairs.
Reasons why some hawks may bond with humans
Imprinting
Imprinting is a critical learning process where newly hatched birds attach to the first living being they see, recognizing it as their parent. If a hawk chick imprints on a human caretaker, it will likely form a social attachment and treat that person as a companion for life. However, imprinting requires carefully controlled exposure of the chick right after hatching.
Positive reinforcement training
Falconers and bird specialists can use positive reinforcement like offering favored treats to condition hawks to perceive humans as a source of rewards. With time and patience, this can lead to a form of trusting companionship between the hawk and trainer. However, the relationship remains dependent on continued rewards.
Captive hawks get used to human presence
Hawks kept long-term in captivity, like those at zoos or wildlife centers, grow accustomed to being around humans delivering their food and tending to their enclosures. They may become tolerant of or even seek out human presence and interaction as a result. But true affectionate bonding remains rare.
Some hawks enjoy human company
There are anecdotal accounts of individual hawks that seem to take a liking to their human caretakers, choosing to spend time close to them. This may be a case of the hawk associating the person with food and shelter rather than friendship. But it shows hawks can, in unique cases, come to prefer human companionship.
Documented cases of friendship between hawks and humans
Some specific stories of close bonds forming between hawks and their human caretakers:
Pale Male
Pale Male is a famous red-tailed hawk who has lived on New York City’s Fifth Avenue since the 1990s. His primary caretaker is Marie Winn, who established a direct relationship with Pale Male through providing him food and observing him over decades. She describes him as recognizing and trusting her.
Suzie
Suzie is a Eurasian eagle owl who imprinted on a human named Scott as a chick. She lives in his home, interacts with him constantly, and shows signs of distress when they are apart. Unusual for a raptor, she seeks out physical affection, leaning into Scott when he pets her.
Oddball
Oddball is a rescued African spotted eagle owl who was injured by poachers. She lives at a South African rehabilitation center but has imprinted closely on her caretaker Robert Fox. She runs to greet him, perches on him, and interacts with him constantly in a companionable way.
Key factors in hawks bonding with humans
Early positive exposure
Imprinting on humans as chicks or positive reinforcement training from a young age accustoms hawks to human presence and handling. This sets the stage for potential future bonding. Taking in an injured adult hawk is unlikely to lead to companionship.
Regular positive interactions
Hawks that have frequent gentle interactions with their caretakers in which they are fed, cared for, and made to feel safe and rewarded are most likely to form some level of bond. Neglect, mishandling, or deprivation can destroy any potential relationship.
Individual hawk’s temperament
Like any animal, some individual hawks are simply more predisposed by their innate nature to tolerate and potentially enjoy human company. Identifying and working with these receptive individuals is key. Not every hawk can become a companion even with the best training.
Caretaker’s hawk husbandry skills
Caring well for a hawk requires specialized raptor knowledge and experience. The human must expertly read the bird’s behaviors and needs to create trust. Poor skills and care will inhibit any bonding. Ethical falconry principles must be followed.
Can hawks truly be “friends” with humans?
This depends on how “friendship” is defined between a human and animal. Hawks likely cannot feel familial affection and emotional closeness akin to human friendships. Some criteria for true friendship include:
Voluntary companionship
Human-hawk bonding relies largely on imprinting or training rather than a hawk choosing freely to spend time with a person. A hawk that tolerates handling but given the choice prefers not to be with humans is arguably not demonstrating true friendship. There should be voluntary interest in being together.
Mutual affections
Human-animal friendships are strongest when bonds of affection go both ways, not just human to animal. There should be observable signs the hawk itself seeks out quality time with the human if it sees them as a friend.
Non-utilitarian relationship
A pet that only bonds with its owner because that person provides food and shelter has a utilitarian rather than affectional relationship. True inter-species friendship requires valuing time together for companionship beyond material gain.
Separate evidence for each hawk
Proving “friendship” requires collecting extensive behavioral evidence specific to a given hawk-human pair showing they meet friendship criteria. Anecdotal stories alone are not sufficient proof that hawks in general can feel human-like friendship.
Conclusion
There are certainly examples of poignant bonds between individual hawks and their human caretakers. Imprinting and training can accustom hawks to human proximity and interaction they would normally avoid in the wild. However, true friendship places demands on a hawk’s emotional and intellectual capacities that exceed what is known scientifically about their abilities. Hawks are likely limited to feeling degrees of social attachment, not the complex devotion of human friendship. But further observation and research are needed, as there is still much to learn about the social possibilities between humans and these mysterious raptors.