Questions and Answers
What is meant by the term 'carnivorous' in the context of hawks?
What is unique about hawks that helps them catch their prey?
What type of birds are known to eat other birds?
How often do most hawks eat?
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How do hawks typically hunt for their prey?
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What is a unique feature of hawks that helps them catch their prey?
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What do hawks often use to practice their hunting skills?
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What do baby hawks usually eat?
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Which species of hawk usually only eats small songbirds?
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What is a unique food source for the Ferruginous Hawk?
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Study Notes
What Do Hawks Eat?
- Hawks are carnivorous birds that eat only animals, no plants.
- They have sharp talons and beaks that help them catch their prey.
- Hawks commonly eat small mammals, such as rabbits, squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs, mice, and chipmunks.
Hawks' Diet Includes
- Insects: dragonflies, crickets, grasshoppers, moths, and insect larvae
- Fish, reptiles, and amphibians: lizards, turtles, frogs, crabs, crawfish, koi
- Other birds, including hummingbirds, quail, waterfowl, robins, jays, and doves (accipiters)
Do Hawks Eat Snakes?
- Yes, hawks do eat snakes, including garter snakes and black rat snakes.
- They even eat poisonous snakes, such as rattlesnakes and cottonmouth snakes.
How Often Do Hawks Eat?
- Most hawks eat every single day.
- Some hawks eat up to 12% of their body weight in food daily.
- Hawks hunt by perching on tall tree branches, using their excellent eyesight to spot prey from far away.
Hawk Hunting Techniques
- Hawks stay quiet and still while waiting for prey.
- They swoop down and grab prey with their sharp talons.
- They can fly quietly and reach speeds of nearly 120 miles per hour when diving down to catch prey.
- Hawks can carry animals that are three times larger than their own body.
Baby Hawks' Diet
- Baby hawks eat insects, small rodents, and small reptiles like lizards.
- Since they cannot fly well, they hunt by running or hopping on the ground towards their prey.
Different Hawks Eat Different Things
- Cooper's Hawk: small birds, mammals, and reptiles
- Sharp-Shinned Hawk: small songbirds
- Red-Tailed Hawk: small mammals like mice, rabbits, rats, squirrels, and chipmunks
- Northern Goshawk: small mammals like squirrels and rabbits, small birds like woodpeckers and songbirds
- Red-Shouldered Hawk: small mammals, large insects, small reptiles, and small birds
- Broad-Winged Hawk: insects, small birds, small mammals, small reptiles, and crabs
- Swainson's Hawk: dragonflies, grasshoppers, squirrels, and insect larvae
- Ferruginous Hawk: small mammals like prairie dogs, squirrels, jackrabbits, gophers, and snakes
- Rough-Legged Hawk: small mammals like voles, squirrels, lemmings, and mice, and carcasses of dead animals
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Description
Learn about the diet of hawks, birds of prey that hunt small mammals and animals to survive. Discover the different types of animals that make up a hawk's meal.
