Hawks are classified as raptors, birds of prey defined by their strictly carnivorous diet. They rely entirely on consuming other animals for necessary nutrients. Hawks use specialized physical adaptations, such as powerful talons and a sharp, hooked beak, to capture, kill, and tear apart their prey. Their digestive systems are adapted to process meat, fat, and bone, not the cellulose and starches found in plant matter like corn.
Dietary Classification and Primary Prey
The hawk’s diet is diverse but consistently focused on animal protein. Their preferred meals include a wide array of small mammals, such as mice, voles, rabbits, and ground squirrels, which they hunt in open fields and wooded edges. Many hawk species also consume reptiles like snakes and lizards, amphibians, and various large insects, depending on the season and habitat.
Hawks possess exceptional eyesight, allowing them to spot small prey from high perches or while soaring. This ability is coupled with powerful, sharp talons, which serve as the primary tool for seizing and dispatching prey. Different species may specialize; for example, the Red-tailed Hawk focuses heavily on rodents, while the Cooper’s Hawk is adapted to hunting other birds. The carnivorous nature of all hawks means they cannot subsist on grains like corn.
The Real Reason Hawks Visit Cornfields
The presence of hawks near cornfields often leads to the mistaken belief that they are consuming the crop. Hawks are drawn to these agricultural areas not for the corn, but for the dense populations of prey animals the cornfield supports. The standing crop provides excellent cover and a ready food source for rodents like mice and voles, which feed on fallen kernels and stalks.
These small mammals and other agricultural pests, such as grasshoppers and large insects, become concentrated food sources for the hunting raptors. Hawks frequently use the tall corn stalks or nearby utility poles as elevated perches to scan the rows for potential meals. This behavior makes the hawk an important, unintentional ally to farmers by reducing the population of animals that damage the corn crop.
Accidental Consumption of Plant Matter
While hawks are strict carnivores, a minimal amount of plant material may sometimes pass through their digestive system. This ingestion is almost always accidental. It occurs when a hawk consumes the entire body of a small herbivorous animal, such as a mouse or vole, that has recently fed on seeds or grains.
In these rare instances, the hawk is consuming the plant matter found within the stomach contents of its prey. The raptor’s digestive tract is highly acidic and optimized for processing meat and bone. Any ingested plant material, like corn or other seeds, is generally not digested effectively. The undigested fibrous material is often expelled as part of a pellet, a compact mass of indigestible fur, feathers, and bone that hawks regularly regurgitate.