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Title: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: Donna on 06-Dec-14, 08:56:16 AM http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/30/hawk-kills-dog/19703919/ (http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/11/30/hawk-kills-dog/19703919/) :o
Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: MAK on 06-Dec-14, 10:16:35 AM :sorrow:
Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: patsy6 on 06-Dec-14, 11:03:59 AM :(
Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: Donna on 06-Dec-14, 12:46:03 PM Can a RTH actually lift a 7 lb dog???
Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: carly on 06-Dec-14, 01:12:45 PM Can a RTH actually lift a 7 lb dog??? I've picked up deceased RTH's on the rooftops here and no way they could pick up a 7lb animal. They range in weight from 1.5 to 3.5 lbs. So even if this was one at the 3.5 lb range, how could it pick up a 7lb dog? It may have been on the ground eating something and the dog attacked it and it used it's talons to defend itself..but I'll eat my hat if it got airborne with a dog. Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: NoraH on 06-Dec-14, 06:23:18 PM I thought this was interesting on page #222
BEHAVIOR AND FOOD HABITS OF THE RED-TAILED HAWK By HENRY S. FITCH, FREEMAN SWENSON and DANIEL F. TILLOTSON https://sora.unm.edu/sites/default/files/journals/condor/v048n05/p0205-p0237.pdf Prey brought to the nest consisted entirely of mammals, birds, and reptiles. Rodents and rabbits comprised all the mammals. The birds were of various sorts, having little in common except that nearly all were larger than sparrows but smaller than the hawks. The reptiles included snake and lizard species in equal numbers, although the lizards were slightly more numerous in individuals. The 625 prey items’comprising the three years’ records and pertaining to fourteen different nests were of 23 species, in the following numbers: 380 ground squirrels (Citellus beecheyi), 79 pocket gophers (Thomomys bottae), 62 cottontails (Sylvilagus auduboni), 13 wood rats (Neotoma fuscipes), 10 kangaroo rats (Dipodomys heermanni), 8 chipmunks (Eutamias mewiami), 3 rock mice (Peromyscus truei), 2 gray squirrels (Sciurus griseus) , 1 brush mouse (Peromyscus boy&), and 1 meadow mouse (Microtus californicus) ; 11 quail (Lofdzortyx CU.& jornicus) ,4 jays (Apkelocoma coerulescens) ,3 towhees (Pipilo fuscus) , 1 road-runner (Geococcyx califorrzianus), 1 screech owl (Otus asio) , 1 kingbird (Tyrannus verticalis), 1 lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) , 1 unidentified bird ; 17 whiptail lizards (Cnemidop&us tesseZa.tus) , 14 gopher snakes (Pituophis ca.tenifer) , 8 skinks (Eumeces gilberti), 2 rattlesnakes (CrotaZus viridis) , 1 fence lizard (Sceloporus occidentalis), 1 sharp-nosed snake (Rhinocheilus Zecontei) . Title: Re: Red-tailed hawk attacks, kills family's dog Post by: NoraH on 06-Dec-14, 06:26:32 PM http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory (http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/lifehistory)
Mammals make up the bulk of most Red-tailed Hawk meals. Frequent victims include voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels. The hawks also eat birds, including pheasants, bobwhite, starlings, and blackbirds; as well as snakes and carrion. Individual prey items can weigh anywhere from less than an ounce to more than 5 pounds. |