Hawks are notorious hunters, equipped with sharp talons and curved beaks that make them excellent predators. Their diet typically consists of small birds, mammals, reptiles, and insects that they can swoop down and grab with their powerful feet. But when it comes to their favorite meals, what do hawks crave most? Let’s take a closer look at the dining habits of these aerial acrobats.
Small Birds Are Hawks’ Staple Prey
The most common prey for many hawk species are small birds like sparrows, starlings, pigeons, and doves. Hawks are well-adapted for catching bird prey on the wing. Their broad, rounded wings allow them to gain speed and momentum during dives, while their light bodies and streamlined feathers make them very agile in flight. The Cooper’s hawk, in particular, is specially equipped to prey on other birds. With its slender body and extremely long tail, it can twist and turn through the air with great precision when homing in on its target. Birds make up over 90% of the Cooper’s hawk’s diet. For hawks like the Cooper’s that are bird specialists, avian prey provides them with a favorite and substantial meal.
Squirrels and Rabbits Are Also Hawk Favorites
While birds may be their most commonly consumed food source, some hawks have a penchant for hunting small mammals like squirrels, rabbits, mice, and voles. The long-legged red-tailed hawk cruises low over open fields watching for signs of movement in the grass, then pounces down to pin prey with its sharp talons. Squirrels and rabbits make up around 40% of the red-tailed hawk’s diet. With their warm fur and higher calorie content compared to reptiles or insects, mammals can provide hawks with substantial high-energy meals. Other hawk species like the red-shouldered hawk, rough-legged hawk, and ferruginous hawk also regularly hunt small mammal prey, making these furry creatures another hawk favorite.
Reptiles and Amphibians Add Variety
In addition to birds and mammals, hawks supplement their diet with reptiles and amphibians. Snakes, lizards, frogs, salamanders, and turtles offer hawks a protein-packed meal. The Harris’s hawk lives in arid climates where small reptiles like lizards and snakes are abundant. These agile hawks capture slithering prey by pinning it to the ground with their talons. Other hawks frequent wetlands and marshes where frogs and salamanders can be easily picked off as they hop along the water’s edge. While not their primary food source, reptiles and amphibians bring some dietary variety and added nourishment to a hawk’s menu.
Large Insects Pack a Protein Punch
Several hawk species like to supplement their main meals with large insects including grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, and dragonflies. Though small in size, insects provide hawks with concentrated protein. The American kestrel is an insect-loving hawk, with bugs making up over 50% of its diet. Kestrels perch on power lines and trees, watching for grasshoppers in fields or beetles crawling up tree trunks, then make quick work catching them in mid-air or snatching them from leaves. The diet of juvenile hawks can contain even higher percentages of insects as they learn to hunt. For young hawks still developing their hunting skills, bugs are fast, easy meals packed with essential nutrients.
Carrion Provides an Occasional Bonus
Hawks are primarily hunters of live prey. However, they aren’t above scavenging meals from already dead animals if the opportunity arises. Carrion, or the decaying flesh of deceased creatures, provides an occasional dietary bonus for hawks. Red-tailed hawks, ferruginous hawks, and turkey vultures may all be seen feeding on carrion. Roadkill along the highway can draw in these swooping scavengers. Carrion offers an easy meal requiring minimal effort when competition from other predators isn’t too intense. Vultures tend to be better adapted for exploiting carrion, but hawks won’t pass up the nourishment of an easy free meal.
The Hunting Habits of Hawks
Different hawk species have evolved varied techniques and strategies for finding and capturing their prey based on factors like habitat, body size, wing shape, and beak curvature. Here’s an overview of how some common North American hawks hunt down food:
| Hawk | Hunting Strategy |
|---|---|
| Red-tailed Hawk | Soars high on thermals, scanning for prey below. Strikes in a steep dive with feet forward to immobilize prey. |
| Cooper’s Hawk | Launches fast, circling pursuits through dense trees to catch bird prey. Uses quick turns and surprise attacks. |
| Northern Goshawk | Perches quietly, then makes direct unfaltering attacks on prey in forests. Knocks prey out of trees with fast, powerful wingbeats. |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | Perch-hunts patiently. Drops straight down on prey. Will wade into shallow water to grab food. |
| Broad-winged Hawk | Hunts from concealed perch within forest canopy. Catches prey by dropping down vertically through branches. |
| Swainson’s Hawk | Soars on thermal updrafts. Pursues prey in open country using speedy low flights close to ground. |
As you can see, each hawk has physical and behavioral adaptations that equip it for securing meals common in its habitat and environment.
The Most Dangerous Hawk Prey
While hawks are well-equipped predators, the tables sometimes turn and they end up as prey themselves. Their greatest predators include:
- Great horned owls – These powerful nocturnal hunters sometimes catch hawks sleeping at night.
- Eagles – Large eagle species will prey on hawks if given the opportunity.
- Other hawks – In lean times, hawks may turn to eating smaller hawk species.
The animals that pose the biggest danger to hawks are often those that share their skies. Other expert avian hunters sometimes make target practice out of their feathered cousins.
Ideal Hawk Habitats for Hunting
Hawks thrive best in habitats that support abundant prey sources. Some prime hawk hunting grounds include:
- Grasslands – Open meadows and prairies offer small mammal prey like rodents, rabbits, and ground squirrels.
- Parklands – Urban green spaces attract ample bird and squirrel prey.
- Agricultural Areas – Prey animals like mice and voles are drawn to the seeds in fields.
- Woodland Edges – Transitional zones between forests and open land provide prey moving between habitats.
- Wetlands – Marshes and swamps hold fish, frogs, small reptiles, and bird prey.
Hawks are adaptable hunters found in diverse environments. But areas with plentiful small prey populations provide them with ideal conditions for successful feeding.
How Hawks Eat Their Prey
Once hawks have dispatched their prey, they use their specialized beaks and feet to pluck, tear, and consume their freshly caught meals. Here are some interesting facts about how hawks eat:
- Hawks use their hooked upper beak like a tearing tool to rip flesh from carcasses.
- Their sharp talons hold prey firmly in place for eating.
- They pluck feathers from bird prey before consumption.
- Smaller prey is swallowed whole, while larger animals are eaten in pieces.
- Hawks regurgitate indigestible material like fur and feathers in the form of pellets.
Eating on the go is also common. Hawks will often carry captured prey to a perch before digging in to their meal. This allows them to feed with greater safety and comfort.
What Do Hawks Drink?
In addition to devouring meaty meals, hawks also need to regularly consume water to avoid dehydration. However, they aren’t often seen directly drinking from sources of water. This is because hawks have adapted an efficient way to get the fluids they require.
After catching prey, hawks tear into the carcass and consume the fresh blood and body fluids along with the flesh. This provides them with pre-packaged hydration with every meal. They can also get some moisture from juices of fruits and vegetables on occasion. Drinking directly from sources of water or other liquids isn’t very common or necessary for hawks.
Baby Hawk Diets
Like all youngsters, baby hawks have a lot of growing up to do after they hatch. And that requires a lot of food. Here’s an overview of baby hawk dietary needs:
- Hawk hatchlings are covered in downy feathers and can’t regulate their own body heat, so they are brooded closely by their mothers.
- For the first 2-3 weeks, the female hawk tears up prey and feeds it directly to the hatchlings.
- Regurgitated bird flesh and bone is the most common early solid food for young hawks.
- As they grow, the nestlings are fed increasing amounts of whole animals like mice and lizards.
- Older chicks pick up prey themselves but need adults to tear larger food into pieces.
- Fledglings learn to hunt prey and feed themselves after leaving the nest.
A constant supply of protein-rich food is essential for the rapid growth and feather development of young raptors. Attentive hawk parents ensure their chicks are well-nourished.
Hawk Mealtimes and Hunting Frequency
Hawks typically follow an eating schedule matched to the activity patterns of their prey. Here are some details on hawk meal frequency and timing:
- Most hawks eat between 2-4 small meals each day.
- They hunt most actively in the morning and evening when prey is abundant.
- Larger hawk species may be able to go several days between major meals.
- Smaller hawks like kestrels can only go about a day without eating.
- Baby hawks have accelerated metabolisms and may eat 5-10 times in a day.
- When prey is readily available, hawks gorge to cache extra food as fat.
Hawk feeding patterns match the rhythms of their prey while providing energy for busy days of hunting and soaring over territories.
Hawks as Fast Food Connoisseurs
While hawks are certainly not lining up at the drive-through window, they do share some similarities with fast food-loving humans. Here are some of the reasons hawks too have a preference for quick, convenient meals:
- Hawks enjoy fresh, hot food – Prey caught and eaten immediately retains more nutrients.
- They favor foods that are easy to swallow – No need to waste time chewing.
- Speedy meals let them rapidly return to hunting – More time in the air searching for the next tasty snack.
- Their extraordinary vision allows fast-food style visual tracking of prey.
- Strong talons serve as built-in fast food holders for eating on the go.
- Scavenging roadkill drive-through style provides instant gratification.
Of course, hawks burn off calories quickly with an active flying lifestyle. So they can indulge their fast food cravings and remain as fit, effective hunters.
Conclusion
For hawks, the thrill of the hunt and satisfaction of a meal well earned seems to make small birds, squirrels, and rabbits their gastronomic favorites. Their varied menus provide protein for developing youngsters, fuel for energetic flights, and sustenance through lean times. Though they aren’t fussy eaters, hawks pursue certain prey with delight, savoring warm flesh and blood as they swallow their favorite bites. Their broad palates give them the flexibility to prosper across many habitats. But even consummate carnivorous opportunists have particular cravings for certain flavors of food. The preferences of hawks highlight their specialized roles as aerial hunters, while showcasing dietary patterns refined over eons of evolution.
