Red-tailed Hawk Looks Over Its Menu

This Red-tailed Hawk may have been hungry, and there was a Woodchuck (AKA Groundhog) and an Eastern Cottontail in the vicinity [1]. And while Woodchucks can be somewhat tough and feisty [2], rabbits are certainly on the Red-tailed Hawk's menu.

Though it's hard not to sympathize with the prey animals when predators are hunting, to our hawks eating small animals isn't a choice as much as a necessity. To them our little furry friends are just food, like a burger, fries, and a shake.

June 10, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 300986026, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 10, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 300986041, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

June 10, 2023 at Duke Farms
Photo 300986076, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)

[1] I'm using the phrase "in the vicinity" a little loosely; I think I saw the Woodchuck and rabbit within 20 minutes of seeing the hawk.

[2] I kind of wonder if Red-tails mostly sneak-attack adult Woodchucks from behind rather than risking a frontal attack against a dense-boned mammal that frequently outweighs them.

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