Did you know there are over 200 species of hawks worldwide, except in Antarctica? These fascinating medium-sized meat-eating birds are known for their excellent hunting skills.
Hawks can easily catch their prey with their sharp talons at a speed of 120 mph. The interesting part is that they can even catch prey weighing 60 pounds!
However, we only witness hawks’ hunting skills during the day. So, the question is, “Do hawks eat at night or not?” Hawks love meat but only eat throughout the daytime, unlike owls and other nocturnal birds. It’s not because of the prey but rather their eyesight!
If you want to know more, just keep reading!
Do Hawks Eat at Night?
Hawks don’t eat at night because they are diurnal animals, meaning daytime animals. Still, many people think hawks hunt at night and believe they’ve seen it. Well, that’s not possible!
As we all know, hawks have very sharp eyesight, which is known to be eight times sharper than the sharpest human eyesight, so many of us assume they would hunt at night. But, being diurnal, they don’t see very well in the dark, so they just perch upon a tree near their prey until dawn. Clever, right?
Moreover, hawks don’t need to find prey at night as they can easily catch as many prey as they want during the day!
What Time of Day Do Hawks Usually Hunt for Food?
If you want to see a hawk’s exceptional hunting talent, the early mornings through the mid-mornings of the hot summer months are the best. You can also spot them swooping on their prey during dusk or dawn.
But how can they see in the lowlights? Good question! To simplify it, hawks have tiny photoreceptors. These help absorb and emit light, and they have millions of them, which is way more than what we have.
So these make their eyesight very powerful and help them see even the slightest movements and track their prey down.
Do Hawks Search for Food At Night?
Usually, you won’t see any hawks searching for food at night. They are diurnal birds, so you’ll only see them hunting until dusk and again at dawn throughout the day.
At night, hawks will perch up on a tree or fly to their nest for a good night’s sleep. Sometimes, they may sit on branches near their prey so they can keep an eye on them and catch them in the morning.
So, overall it’s very rare for a hawk to hunt at night.
However, you might have seen the Red-Tailed Hawk search for food during the night. These predatory birds hunt small animals during the lowlights of dawn and dusk so they can easily hide from their prey. Even then, they return to their nest when it’s completely dark.
How Many Times a Day Do Hawks Eat?
Hawks love devouring small mice, rats, voles, squirrels, snakes, etc. And like us, they usually enjoy two or three meals daily, but this depends on their hunting skills.
As you already know, hawks hunt during the day, so a meal in the morning and the afternoon is quite common as they get to see properly. But sometimes they even eat in the evening if there’s easy prey to catch.
Moreover, hawks can survive up to two weeks without food because of their incredible metabolism. Also, normally, they don’t hunt much during the winter as the days are shorter.
How Do Hawks Hunt – in Groups or in Pairs?
If you think hawks hunt in groups, be ready to be schooled! Hawks are lone birds and don’t need groups or pairs to hunt food. Their razor-sharp talons and sight, gliding ability, and extremely sharp eyesight are enough to hunt alone.
Additionally, hawks like to live in solitary and only spend some time with others during the mating season. Even then, they leave their pairs to hunt for food alone.
Hawks spot their prey from a distance and glide motionless toward it. Then they dive in and catch the prey with their talons. Usually, they wrap small prey with their talons; for larger prey, they just dig their claws into the prey so they can’t escape.
So, make sure to keep your pets safe because hawks don’t differentiate!
Conclusion
Hawks are extraordinary predators with some amazing features. They have different diet choices depending on the circumstances, and now you know they don’t eat at night.
Moreover, you got to learn some fascinating details about this majestic bird of prey. If you want more interesting animal information, don’t forget to browse around!
