North America’s No. 1 daytime aerial predator, the red-tailed hawk, loves an easy meal.

by Gail Damerow

With an overall population of some 2 million, red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) are the most prevalent daytime predators of poultry throughout North America. They prefer a diet of rodents, rabbits and other small mammals, although about 10% of their diet consists of birds — including crows, pigeons, quail and songbirds. A hungry red-tail won’t hesitate to attack a barnyard bird up to about the size of a stout rooster and can carry off a smaller bird weighing up to about a pound.

A pair of red-tails mates monogamously, often using the same nest for several years. They aggressively defend their territory during breeding season, and sometimes year-round in places where the local hawk population swells during migration. They defend their territory not just against other hawks, but also against eagles and great horned owls, and in doing so protect any nearby poultry yards from predation by these bigger raptors.

A red-tail hunts throughout daylight hours.

During breeding season, while the female guards the nestlings, the male hunts to provide for his family. When they are not cooperating to raise their young, they often hunt in pairs. Their dietary preference for rodents makes them additionally beneficial to the poultry keeper.