The horror stories abound: A little dog or cat is standing in the yard, going about its business, and suddenly a hawk swoops in and steals it away to be its lunch. Can a Hawk Pick Up a 15-Pound Cat? What About a Small Dog? These are great questions! Fortunately, hawk behavior is pretty predictable, and we have lots of information about how they are likely to behave in different scenarios. Are you allowed to deter them from visiting your backyard? What do you do if they’re at your backyard bird feeder? Are they a threat to household pets like dogs and cats? Many people have questions about whether or not it is safe to have hawks around. Hawks are beautiful, but they can also be intimidating because of their size and fierce appearance. Let’s look at some of the frequently asked questions that people have about hawks, including Cooper’s and Red-Tailed. ![]() In 1999, their status improved to “threatened.” As of 2012, they are a “species of special concern.” That means they still need to be monitored, but they are not currently declining in population. They were initially identified as endangered in 1974, at the height of the DDT crisis. However, Red-Tailed hawks were removed from the endangered species list and are no longer considered endangered or threatened!Ĭooper’s hawks are not rare, but they are still a species of concern. The pesticide DDT was a huge threat to large birds, as well. In 1990, the LA Times wrote about how hawks, eagles, and falcons were at risk of extinction due to habitat loss. ![]() In the 1930s, hawks and other birds of prey were regularly hunted for sport. There was a time when hawks were endangered species. Cooper’s hawks love deep forests and neighborhoods with plenty of trees. Sometimes, they may find their way to a backyard feeder or a suburban backyard, but Cooper’s hawks are even more likely to do this. They like to sit on telephone poles, fence posts, and tall trees and watch for prey. You will often spot a Red-Tailed hawk in the open country. They will attack their prey by swooping low to the ground and then diving quickly. They will often fly in broad, sweeping circles over an open field. Both species can hover in the air on windy days as they take aim at their prey. If you see a hawk from a distance, watch how they can go for long periods without flapping their wings. Flying BehaviorĬooper’s hawks and Red-Tailed hawks have similar flying behaviors. Their feathers are brown and cream, unlike the Cooper’s hawk’s blue-gray appearance.Īnother way to differentiate the two birds by sight is that the Cooper’s hawk has much more spotting on its chest than a Red-Tailed Hawk. ![]() Also, the Red-Tailed hawk lacks the horizontal reddish bars across the tail. This differs from a Red-Tailed hawk, which will have a shorter, wider tail than the narrow, long tail of the Cooper’s hawk. Juveniles are brown above and crisply streaked with brown on the upper breast, giving them a somewhat hooded look compared with young Sharp-shinned Hawks’ more diffuse streaking.”
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