One pair of red-tailed hawks can dispatch 400 rats during a season. Just imagine: One rat can cause $14 of damage to a crop in a year. If the problem persists, use netting or poultry wire. Many bird of prey problems can be eliminated by simply housing poultry at night. In fact, their role in the food chain is so valued that killing a bird of prey can result in a $100,000 fine and 10 years in jail. They are super-duper rodent killers that patrol large open fields they work very hard for us every day, curbing rodent damage to our crops and property and combatting the spread of diseases. Red-tailed hawks’ natural diet consists of rats, rabbits, and snakes. Only desperately hungry or young, inexperienced hunters will kill chickens or other domestic animals. The Red-tailed hawk is very common across North America and is sometimes referred to as the “chickenhawk” because it has a reputation of attacking chicken coops however, this behavior is grossly overstated. Their strong talons ratchet down on their prey, exerting powerful pressure-300 to 400 psi. This huge hawk weighs about 2.4 pounds, with a wingspan of 49 inches. The injured hawk that I met was making a happy “purring” sound while sitting on the arm of her handler. Harris’s Hawks are social with humans, too. These hawks will also “stack” or stand on top of each other to spot prey as a way of conserving energy. They’ll also watch their nests together. The babies stay with the mother for a year and help to foster the new round of babies. The Harris’s hawks are unusual in that they hunt cooperatively in packs. Hear the screech-owl’s trilling sound!įrom the desert Southwest, Harris’s Hawk is stunningly beautiful with bold markings. At night, they do not hoot! They make a tremolo or trill that you have probably heard but mistaken for an insect. The little “ear tufts” on top of their head are NOT actually ears naturalists believe that the tufts help to camouflage their round heads since few shapes in nature are circles. They can not see color, which is irrelevant at night anyway, and they have hearing that is 100 times better than humans’ to guide their flight. To avoid being eaten by larger birds of prey, they have a false face with eyes on the back of their head.Ī nighttime hunter, this small, stocky owl can fly silently thanks to the ruffled edges on the outside of its wings, which create air pockets and muffle noise, allowing it to swoop down on mice unaware. Also called Sparrow Hawk, they prey on small birds and insects. They eat cicadas, too! Interestingly, they can hover in place to lock down on their prey. The smallest of falcons, American Kestrels are master mousers. This may sound extreme, but every animal has to eat, and this channel helps the prey die quickly! There is a channel down the back of each talon to help their prey bleed out. At the end of their toes are talons-needle-sharp claws used to catch and kill prey.
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