We all view hawks as majestic birds that have excellent vision and hunting skills; it’s not wrong. A hawk’s diet consists of many small mammals and other small animals.
But do hawks eat squirrels? Yes, squirrels are actually one of the many rodents different hawk species prefer to eat. They use their 8x eye-sight to spot the squirrel from above and dive in with their sharp talons to hold onto them.
Are you curious how hawks spot such small critters? Well, lucky for you, we’re going to let you know everything about hawks hunting squirrels, the kinds of hawks that prefer squirrels, and more!
Do Hawks Eat Squirrels?
Did you know that Hawks can see from nearly 100 feet away? It’s incredible to think how hawks can spot small prey from so high in the sky!
They are carnivores and extremely talented hunters with their powerful vision and sharp claws. So, as small rodents and animals are included in their diet, it doesn’t make squirrels an exception.
Hawks aren’t called birds of prey without a reason. They are on top of the food chain in their habitat and are actually very smart birds. Did you know hawks will often go after baby squirrels just to lure the adult ones? Clever, right?
Moreover, hawks will eat many species of squirrels, like ground squirrels, flying squirrels, etc., if they don’t find any other food source nearby. They also feed baby hawks squirrels as these prey are enough for the young ones.
However, small rodents aren’t on the top of a hawk’s diet as they don’t provide enough meat and protein. So, most hawk species prefer hunting rabbits, hares, and snakes for a good meal. Also, not all hawk species prefer to hunt squirrels as they consider it a waste of energy.
What Kind Of Hawks Eat Squirrels?
Whenever we talk about a hawk’s diet, we know it includes small rodents and mammals. But don’t let this make you think that every hawk species prefers squirrels over other prey. Some do, but not all!
Usually, medium and small hawk species like the Cooper’s Hawk and the Sharp-Shinned Hawk of North America will hunt and eat squirrels.
You will see a Cooper’s Hawk dive in and hunt with its sharp talons. But how do small Sharp-Shinned Hawks manage to hunt? Although they might be small, they’re sure mighty and fast. Their agility and precise hunting skills make them efficient squirrel hunters.
Aside from these majestic hunters, there’s also a large hawk species that has a knack for squirrels. Red-tailed hawks are fierce predators in North America, and about 80% of their diet includes small rodents, like squirrels.
Moreover, we can’t leave the large raptors like the Ferruginous Hawks, Red Shoulder Hawks, Swainson’s Hawks, and Rough Legged Hawk aside. These powerful birds of prey also hunt small rodents and other mammals.
Do Hawks Eat Dead Or Alive Squirrels?
What do you think, do hawks care if they eat dead or alive squirrels? If your answer is no, they don’t care; you’re right!
Hawks are strict carnivores who don’t care about eating dead prey as long as it’s a food source. But you’ll be surprised to know that hawks actually prefer hunting live squirrels than focusing on searching for squirrel carcasses.
Dead carcasses of squirrels don’t have enough nutrients for the hawk to get energy from. Although it might be an easy option when food is scarce, it’s certainly not a sustainable habit for them.
Moreover, hawks love hunting for food, and living squirrels have way more meat and nutrients in them to fulfill their needs. When hawks catch alive prey, they eat their meat, organs, and even fur, which isn’t possible with carcasses as they are already decayed.
However, dead meat is still an important source of food for these majestic hunting birds as they can at least survive when there’s scarcity.
How Do Hawks Kill Squirrels?
Hawks are the most talented hunters you’ll see in the wild. They have all the features, like sharp beaks, talons, fast speed, excellent eye-sight, and more for hunting. So, these give them a pretty good chance of killing squirrels with ease.
We noticed that when a hawk goes after a squirrel or any prey, they mainly use three hunting techniques: gliding, dodge hunting, and gliding. All these techniques are unique, and the hawks use these for different types of prey.
1. Gliding Technique
Let’s talk about gliding first! This is the most successful hunting method for hawks. You’ll see them usually fly above their prey until it starts to run or panic. Then the hawk will just simply glide in and catch the prey with its sharp talons. This technique works great for squirrels, mice, rats, rabbits, etc.
However, hawks are smart, and they calculate their every move diligently. Although they can carry large squirrels like ground squirrels, red squirrels, and flying squirrels, they will make sure they’re able to lift it up after hunting it. Otherwise, the effort will be a lost cause.
2. Perching Technique
Moving on to the perching hunting method. Hawks usually use this method for any prey because it’s easier, faster, and they don’t have to put much energy into it.
Hawks perch on a tree branch and patiently watch their prey from miles away. They will just sit there silently until the prey comes near them, and they strike! Hawks dive in and just pick up their prey.
3. Dodge-Hunting Technique
Now you might think, then, how do hawks hunt while flying? This is where the dodge-hunting technique comes into play. Hawks fly between thick leaves and foliage, following their prey and building up their speed.
With their strong agility, they just go for a strong dive and land on their prey with their killer talons. This immediately kills their prey and is the best way to catch small birds and insects.
But do you know there are some things common among all of these hunting techniques? That is, they capture their prey with sharp claws and suffocate them to render them unconscious or to kill them.
Squirrels aren’t that defenseless, and they might bite the hawk’s legs to free themselves, so this trick works great for them.
Do Squirrels Know When Hawks Are Around?
Here is a fun fact you might not have known. Every prey knows that its predator is nearby, and they know it through different features.
For squirrels, it’s the rustling of the wings and the hawk’s sharp chirps. When a hawk is hunting, it will sometimes chirp, and while flying, its wings make noise, which are some of the giveaways.
However, not all noises they make indicate they are after a squirrel. One research showed that gray squirrels knew if hawks were around just by the chirps and background noises. Then, depending on the noises, the squirrels proceeded to hide, flee, freeze, or just return to their normal shenanigans.
So, you can obviously guess by now that squirrels know when hawks are trying to hunt them, and they try to defend themselves.
Conclusion
We all know hawks are meat eaters, and they will go after a squirrel if they have no other food source. But some Hawks do enjoy hunting squirrels, and it comprises most of their diet.
Everything is just part of the food chain and how nature works. If the hawks don’t hunt, they will probably die of hunger after a few weeks. So, it’s better not to poison or hurt any hawks when trying to save other animals.
