# hawk kills and eats a bird in my backyard
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [February 27, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827 "2011-02-27T18:51:54Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/1 "2011-02-27T18:51:54Z")
It was a huge bird. It ripped at the prey like a vulture just leaving a red spot in the snow and tiny feathers. My beagle watched it intently and when he left, ran out to the spot and sniffed and stomped on the snow.
My beagle is about 40 pounds so I think he is safe.
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### Author:  [@Ceejaytee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ceejaytee)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/2 "2011-02-27T19:19:50Z")
We recently had a hawk eating a squirrel in our gigantic juniper bush while we gawked at it from our living room window. Beautiful bird–it was kind of cool to watch, but really gross too.
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/3 "2011-02-27T19:21:48Z")
Even an owl tops out at a good sized skunk, which is between 15 and 20 pounds.
Hawks tend to top out at good sized rabbits.
Stories about birds of prey and/or owls carrying off prey are largely exagerated. Even strong birds tend to be limited to twice their weight, to fly off with it.
This doesn’t mean they can’t swoop down kill it and not carry it off.
A hawk or owl or eagle going after something large would depend on how hungry it is. They are not going to risk injury if other prey is around.
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### Author:  [@KlondikeGeoff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KlondikeGeoff)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/4 "2011-02-27T19:44:43Z")
I have seen eagles swoop and pick fish out of a river. Amazing sight.
I also saw a film some time ago with closeups of this. Once the eagle got airborne with a large fish, he moved it around in it’s talons until it was facing straight forward. To reduce drag. Way cool.
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### Author:  [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/5 "2011-02-27T19:53:51Z")
I’ve got pictures of a hawk killing a blue jay in my yard. The jay had been fighting (?) with a crow first and the noise was what tipped me off, and after the crow was scared off (probably by me opening the door to see what was going on) the jay must have been inured. The hawk was quick to act on it. I have also had (although, not witnessed by me so it might have escaped) a hawk take out either a squirrel or a rabbit by my bird feeders. The only thing left in the snow was a bit of grey fur, some blood and talon marks.
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### Author:  [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/6 "2011-02-27T20:44:37Z")
> [@Markxxx](#):
>
> Stories about birds of prey and/or owls carrying off prey are largely exagerated. Even strong birds tend to be limited to twice their weight, to fly off with it.
I think you got that backwards. Birds of prey can usually not take off if they are carrying more than about half their own weight, not twice their weight.
They can kill larger prey, but have to dismember it to carry pieces off.
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### Author:  [@Not\_Approved](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Not_Approved)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/7 "2011-02-27T20:44:48Z")
I consider my bird feeder McDonald’s for the hawks.
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### Author:  [@LilyoftheField](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilyoftheField)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/8 "2011-02-27T21:02:08Z")
Wow - exquisite timing for this thread! I have lived in this house for seven years and in that time I have seen many a hawk in the area, but yesterday was the first time I ever saw one score a meal. In my own backyard! :eek: I happened to be standing at my kitchen sink looking out at all the (heavy sigh…) snow, when a redtail suddenly swooped through the yard. A few seconds later he was back, hot on the tailfeathers of a small black bird, probably a starling. The hawk hit that bird a foot above ground and bore it down into the snow. Then he just stood there for a minute, catching his breath and clutching the prey in his talons. He smoothed his feathers and spread out that beautiful russet tail for a few seconds, looking about alertly. Then, prey in hand…uh, claw, he took off into the wooded area behind my lot to enjoy his lunch in privacy.
It was way cool… 🆒
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### Author:  [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/9 "2011-02-27T21:08:11Z")
I see that a bunch behind my house. Our backyard faces about 150 acres of farm. I get to see crows hunting, and at night I can hear the coyotes feasting a lot.
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### Author:  [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/10 "2011-02-27T21:19:06Z")
We were at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo and saw a hawk tearing strips from a sqyuirrel it had killed. It took us a moment to realize that it wasn’t an exhibit – the hawk wasn’t caged and was a local bird that had killed a local wild squirrel.
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/11 "2011-02-27T21:28:05Z")
Large raptors sometime [hunt prey of impressive size](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAsXtDKdU0Q&feature=related).
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### Author:  [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/12 "2011-02-27T22:39:59Z")
> [@Colibri](#):
>
> I think you got that backwards. Birds of prey can usually not take off if they are carrying more than about half their own weight, not twice their weight.
>
> They can kill larger prey, but have to dismember it to carry pieces off.
Good catch that is what I meant to say.
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### Author:  [@Pops1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pops1963)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/13 "2011-02-27T22:46:20Z")
No hawks but I see vultures(some with red heads some with black) eating on the side of the roas quite regularly(mostly skunks)
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### Author:  [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/14 "2011-02-27T23:14:17Z")
Last year I saw an osprey capture a rabbit and carry it off. And the rabbit was crying.
Why did you have to remind me of that? 😭
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### Author:  [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/15 "2011-02-27T23:18:20Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#):
>
> We were at Boston’s Franklin Park Zoo and saw a hawk tearing strips from a sqyuirrel it had killed. It took us a moment to realize that it wasn’t an exhibit – the hawk wasn’t caged and was a local bird that had killed a local wild squirrel.
At the Brevard Zoo we saw a caged crow in an exhibit. Outside the cage, on a branch about 10 feet from the bars there was another crow looking at it, probably thinking “imma get you out buddy!”
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### Author:  [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)
#### Post date: [February 27, 2011, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/16 "2011-02-27T23:52:49Z")
> [@kapri](#):
>
> Last year I saw an osprey capture a rabbit and carry it off.
Are you sure it was an Osprey? It has to be rare for one of these take anything besides fish.
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### Author:  [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/17 "2011-02-28T01:01:02Z")
I lost a cat to an bald eagle a couple years ago. It made me sad to see the kitty die, but the eagle was mad impressive.
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### Author:  [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2011, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/18 "2011-02-28T01:26:08Z")
There’s a robust raptor population in the south Bay Area. Just this weekend I’ve seen our local Cooper’s, a marsh hawk, a red tailed and a kestrel. Also, our celebrity peregrine falcon Clara is in the news this week–it looks like her and her mate Esteben Colbert are expecting again.
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### Author:  [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2011, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/19 "2011-02-28T01:34:46Z")
We have one pair of CT’s mated eagles living on our farm. Our chickens are their winter snacks … we lose probably half a dozen chooks every winter usually between jan-feb-mar. We don’t worry too much about it, keeps them fit through the hard part of the winter, and we can breed more chooks.
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### Author:  [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)
#### Post date: [February 28, 2011, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hawk-kills-and-eats-a-bird-in-my-backyard/572827/20 "2011-02-28T02:13:20Z")
I live in the city of Dearborn Heights. My animals are supposed to be safe but now we have coyotes in the area. I do live next to a 16 mile long parkway. I walk my dogs in the park every day . I have seen coyotes but not hawks before. I feed the birds in my back yard. I did not know I was feeding them to the hawks too.
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