There's a Hawk at My Birdfeeder!

One of the nation's fastest growing pastimes is watching and feeding birds. A natural consequence of feeding birds is that of predators arriving. There are many predators of songbirds including cats, small mammals, and yes, even birds of prey (raptors). It is not uncommon to see a raptor swooping to catch a sparrow or other small bird.

Some of the more common raptors have adapted to human encroachment on their habitat, and therefore are seen more in cities and suburbs. These are the Red-tailed Hawk, Sharp-Shinned Hawk, Cooper's Hawk, American Kestrel, Great Horned Owl, Barred Owl and Screech Owl.

Many concerned individuals often ask how to rid their yard of these natural predators. The best solution is to accept that a hawk or owl eating a songbird is just natural behavior and part of the cycle of life. The raptor is just doing what is necessary to survive. Life is very difficult for raptors. An estimated 80% of raptors don't make it through the first year. Raptors that eat mammals only succeed in capturing prey 20% of the time. The success rate drops dramatically for raptors eating other birds as they are very difficult to catch. Lack of success means the difference between life and death for a raptor.

Cooper's Hawks (pictured to the right) were believed to be
destined for extinction because of the effects of DDT.
Because we now feed our songbirds, we have increased the
prey base for the Cooper's Hawks, bringing them back to a
mildly healthy population.

There is some evidence that hawks may catch a higher
percentage of weak and diseased birds simply because
they are easier to catch. In doing so, this helps to keep
the remaining population healthier.

A few things that can be done without harming the raptors:

  • Disrupt the feeding pattern by removing feeders and food for several days. This will cause the songbirds to disperse or look elsewhere. The songbirds will find another feeder, forcing the raptors to possibly move on to find another hunting territory.
  • Plant shrubs in the vicinity of the feeder. This will give the songbirds quick access to cover. Do not place the shrubs in a way that provides ground cover for domestic cats that roam free and sit under your feeder. Often times it is a domestic cat and not a raptor that scares songbirds away from your feeder.
  • It is essential that predators exist. Without predators a pair of rats and their offspring could total 350 million in 3 years.
  • Many songbirds have 2 broods a year and could easily surpass a healthy limit resulting in disease and starvation.

    • We hope you continue to enjoy feeding and watching all wildlife.
    Songbirds and raptors have co-existed for many years. One will not flourish without the other.