As the cat in the back yard in a bird predator, I hope you do not get upset
if the RTHA decides to put it in its place on the food chain.
Douglas Carver
On Tue, Aug 19, 2008 at 11:25 AM, David Bridge <bridgedavid@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>wrote:
Well, I will not claim to be an expert. But here is what John K. Terres
says about Red-tailed Hawk feeding habits in "The Audubon Society
Encyclopedia of North American Birds", 1995 edition, page 484.
"Feeding Habits: May hunt while soaring in sky or hovers along mountain
ridge where updrafts hold it aloft; phenomenal eyesight (binocular vision)
enables it to see mouse or other prey at great distance; young redtails
especially hover about 100 ft. above fields, feed especially on meadow mice;
adults sometimes make falconlike stoop at bird or in flight snatch bats out
of air; however, main prey is rodents; most often watches for prey from
perch in tree or on pole near fields, from which takes off with powerful
wingbeats, then glide, in which snatches prey from ground with talons;
sometimes hops about in field pouncing on grasshoppers; eats house mice,
field mice, rats, red and gray squirrels, gophers, prairie dogs, cottontail
rabbits, moles, shrews, chipmunks, muskrats, spermophiles, weasels, skunks,
porcupines, may attack wild house cats; catches some waterfowl and domestic
poultry, cattle egrets (see Courser, 1971), gallinules, rails, pheasants,
grouse, quail, doves, screech owls, kingfishers, woodpeckers, crows,
starlings, grackles, meadowlarks, and other small birds; rattlesnakes,
copperheads, and other snakes, turtles, toads, lizards, frogs, salamanders,
crayfishes, crickets, beetles, spiders, earthworms, carp and catfishes
caught at edge of water (Bent, 1937)."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I don't have a mammal book handy, with weights, but a quick Google search,
finds these weights:
Skunks: "Striped skunks are about the size of domestic cats, with their
length ranging
from 20.5 to 31.5 inches (52-80 cm) and weight from 6 to 14 pounds (2.7-6.3
kg). The males are larger than the females."
Porcupines "Weight: 5 to16 lbs. average, older males up to 40 lbs"
Weights of bird species can be found the Sibley field guides.
----------------------------------------------------------------
It is possible (likely?) that the larger prey species listed above, where
not "kills", but may have been scavenged. Predators often take young
animals; so the "larger" species listed could be correct, but the weight of
an adult prey species, would irrelevant in this case. It seems to me that
it would be impossible for a Red-tail to lift an adult porcupine weighting
40 pounds.
The statement "may attack wild house cats" suggests some precautions maybe
required.
I would think, that even an "unsuccessful attack" on the pets, could result
in an expensive emergency trip to the veterinarian.
I hope this helps.
David Bridge
-----Original Message-----
From: KEN A LIPSHY
Sent: Aug 18, 2008 8:49 PM
To: VirginiaListServe
Subject: [Va-bird] Red Tails
Are there any experts on Red Tailed hawks out there?
There have 3-4 that have been hanging out on the large power lines in our
neighborhood in Hampton.
I noticed today they were in the tree in my yard.
When I went out on the porch one took off and flew over the yard.
Anyone know what the maximum weight they can carry is?
My wife's Yorkie is about 13 # and the cat is about 8-10#.
They both like to hang out in the back yard.
_______________________________________________
va-bird mailing list
http://mailman.listserve.com/listmanager/listinfo/va-bird
Thank you for subscribing to Va-bird, a service of the Virginia Society of
Ornithology. Please consider joining the VSO.
http://www.virginiabirds.net/
