Hawks hunt during the day just like eagles and falcons. Catching prey in daylight hours helps to avoid direct competition with owls for food.
Do Hawks Hunt At Night Time For Food?
You may think you have heard or seen a hawk hunting at night – but this really isn’t their thing. Hawks are diurnal birds of prey – that is they are carnivorous birds that hunt their prey during daylight hours.
Many species of hawk catch birds in flight – and Cooper’s Hawk, for example, is estimated to catch and eat around 700 birds a year. Species caught by this one type of hawk range from robins to sparrows and grouse to woodpeckers. You can’t catch birds in flight in the dark – and as most of these species are also diurnal – the hawks must be awake when they are.
Hawks have specialised vision for using the ‘white light’ spectrum and don’t have any special adaptations to hunt at night. Around dusk and dawn is always possible though if there is a need for extra food – as when raising chicks. It is thought by some specialists that hawks can see on the UV spectrum and can sense heat given off by other animals – but if so – they don’t seem to use this for hunting purposes.
Can Hawks Fly At Night?
Hawks can fly at night if they have to – although it is believed that their night vision is very similar to humans. Adequate but nothing special.
Hawks have very small eyeballs compared to an owl – who can see very well in both daytime and night-time conditions. Having a lot of cone cells for pinpoint color vision during the day – hawks haven’t the space left for enough rod cells to be pinpoint clear at night too. Just like humans, they have made a compromise – and leave the night-time hunting to the owls.
They can still see well enough in low light, and can often be seen hunting for prey early morning or late evening – especially if they live in an area where easy prey is most active at those times – like bats. Hawks don’t like to be disturbed when hunting – or to have competition from other predators – so if the best hours for some alone time are very early or late – they just go for it.
Will Hawks Attack Humans?
Hawks have been known to attack humans – but this is usually only when they perceive them to be a threat. Most often attacks are reported when they are nesting. Attacks usually consist of loud noises and fly-bys at first – as a warning – or an attack from behind.
Hawks don’t want to get themselves injured at all – so avoid direct face-to-face contact at first. Some hawks have been known to pick a nest site that is close to humans – say on a golf course – and then terrorize people throughout April to June (peak nesting season). Close-up flapping and screeching often startle more than injure – but never-the-less still quite an experience.
Although they hardly ever attack humans – do remember that hawks have extremely sharp talons. Extremely sharp.
If you have a nesting hawk in or near your own yard (or golf course) then do take care yourself – but also keep pets and children away. Anything perceived as a threat could be attacked, and cats and dogs often are.
Are Hawks a Threat to Hummingbirds?
Hawks, while not a direct threat to humans, can pose a danger to hummingbirds due to their predatory nature. Hummingbird territorial behavior towards humans may come into play as these tiny birds fiercely defend their nesting areas. Consequently, they may perceive hawks as potential intruders and react defensively to protect themselves and their young.
Do Hawks Attack Owls?
Yes and no. It depends on the hawk.
In general – a hawk will avoid an owl. Hawks learn the outline of the larger owls and make sure that they stay away. They know that owls have big old talons too and so when they see an owl’s silhouette – they go elsewhere. This is why prominently-placed plastic owls can work well as a hawk deterrent in your yard.
However, some hawks – such as the Ferruginous Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk will actually hunt and eat smaller owls such as Short-eared Owls or Burrowing Owls. Hawks can either catch birds in flight – or those running on the ground like the latter owl is famous for. They don’t need to fly off with their prey either – usually choosing to start their meals on the ground – so the size of their prey isn’t always a deciding factor in what they catch.
If the tables were turned though – a large owl could certainly attack a hawk if they felt threatened – or were very hungry.
