The Red-Tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is North America’s most widespread and recognizable raptor, known for its broad, rounded wings and the adult’s distinct reddish-brown tail. This powerful bird of prey is a highly valued component of natural ecosystems. Attracting this species to your property is not about direct feeding, but rather about creating a safe habitat that supports their hunting and perching needs, offering both rewarding wildlife viewing and a beneficial ecological service.
Managing the Landscape for Prey
Attracting a Red-Tailed Hawk requires the presence of its food source, which consists overwhelmingly of small mammals. The hawk’s diet is composed of 80 to 85 percent rodents, including voles, gophers, mice, and rabbits. Creating habitat that supports a dense, accessible prey population is the primary action you can take to encourage a hawk’s prolonged presence.
Maintaining areas of open habitat, such as minimally manicured fields or fallow land, encourages the growth of the hawk’s food source. Tall grasses and low-lying brush provide cover and nesting opportunities for small rodents, making them a reliable food source for a hunting raptor. The hawk is a “sit-and-wait” predator, meaning it prefers to hunt in open areas where the movements of small animals are easily visible from a high vantage point.
A crucial consideration when managing for prey is the complete removal of all anticoagulant rodenticides (ARs) from the property and neighboring areas. These toxins inhibit blood clotting in mammals, but they do not kill the rodent immediately, which makes the sickened animal slow and easy prey. Studies have shown that a high percentage of Red-Tailed Hawks carry these toxins, demonstrating the widespread danger of secondary poisoning. Eliminating these poisons protects the hawks and ensures the health of the entire food chain, transforming your property into a safe hunting ground.
Providing Strategic Perching Opportunities
Red-Tailed Hawks need elevated perches to survey their hunting territory and spot prey movements across the open landscape. Providing these strategic vantage points is an immediate way to make your property an attractive hunting location. The preferred perches are high and allow for an unobstructed view of the hunting grounds.
Existing mature trees are ideal natural perching sites. If your property lacks tall trees, you can install artificial hunting perches, such as simple T-posts or telephone poles. These artificial structures should ideally be positioned over the open hunting area and reach a height of at least 15 to 30 feet to provide the necessary commanding view.
Perches serve as both observation posts and feeding stations. Hawks will often take their catch back to a perch to consume it, which is a key part of their “sit-and-wait” hunting strategy. While hawks will build nests in tall trees, focusing on hunting perches is more effective for attracting them for daily foraging than attempting to encourage nesting.
Ethical Guidelines and Deterrent Removal
All efforts to attract Red-Tailed Hawks must respect the law and the bird’s welfare, emphasizing cohabitation over domestication. The Red-Tailed Hawk is legally protected across North America under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This federal law prohibits the harassment, hunting, capture, or possession of the hawk, its eggs, or its nest without a special permit.
The risk of collision with structures, particularly large windows, is a safety concern for these raptors. You can mitigate this hazard by placing visual deterrents, such as reflective decals or bird-safe tape, on the outside of large glass panes to make the surface visible to the hawk. Reducing the risk of window strikes is an important way to foster a safe environment.
Eliminating noise and activity near potential hunting and perching areas is necessary, as persistent human disturbance can deter a hawk from settling on a property. Domestic pets, such as cats and small dogs, should be supervised or contained to prevent potential conflicts or stress on hunting raptors. By removing hazards and respecting the hawk’s protected status, property owners encourage these beneficial birds to remain in the area.