Will a Hawk attack a Macaw?

[jenphilly]

We had seen that video quite a while ago...

totally off topic about hawks... Harris hawks actually hunt and attack in groups or pairs. One of the interesting things we learned while on the hawk walks in Ireland. I think he said Harris were the only birds of prey who attack in this manner. The second walk we took out both female hawks and they communicated constantly throughout the walk. And Eric explained that on a real hunt, one hawk flushes out and then they both attack.

Here is a video we took of the second hawk walk. Eric kept moving the bait even when it should have been dead and you can see how they react and the second one jumps on when she thinks the other needs help with the kill.


wrong link to share... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7WsETuDfxI"]Hawk Attack - YouTube[/ame]

 

[jenphilly]

JerseyWendy - The best thing about you posting that video was the little eye rolling whistling smiley face...

 

[Birdman666]

The red tails used to hunt in groups.

I used to have a nesting tree in my back yard. I was feeding a bunch of wild birds. Well, two hawks were holding everyone's attention by overflying the tree from one direction.

While two more swooped in from 90 degrees the other way. They pretty much cleaned out the entire tree.

Most of my wild birds did not last more than one year...

 

[JerseyWendy]

JerseyWendy - The best thing about you posting that video was the little eye rolling whistling smiley face...

I didn't mean that smiley face as an insult to anyone, I hope everyone knows that. To me that smiley means "...when you least expect it" or "...didn't see that coming."

 

[jenphilly]

That's totally how I took it... standing around ho, hum, do, do, do... and out of the blue... WHAM!

Nah, did not seem insulting, was just funny, but I have a really warped sense of humor...

 

[Birdman666]

Jenpilly: those are great photos thanks for sharing them.

That is scary!!! The scariest part is that was a trained raptor ( if you can train a raptor) and its not like a Moluccan is a small bird.

Supervised cage time and a broom handy just in case.

Ordinarily if you are around they won't come close. But the birds that live in the parks, and are used to humans, your being there won't even phase those guys...

 

[Birdbrain91]

Wow!! I didn't think a sharp shinned could do that much damage they are one of the smaller hawks. It's a good thing you had a helmet on.

I think raptors are an amazing animal how agile they are in the sky. At the same time I have a problem with them eating other birds. I just didn't think they would go after larger birds like a Macaw or a Moluccan.

I hope this doesn't offend anyone and if it does I will remove it. This is a Sharp-Shinned hawk in my back yard last year. It was taken from a tinted window.

 

[SandyBee]

Also watch out for Owls in the evening.
We had an owl slam into our window trying to attack Bosley and August and have caught him watching from some trees we have outside out house. Thank goodness there was glass in between him and our parrots. He flew in hard and quick.

 

[Birdman666]

Also watch out for Owls in the evening.
We had an owl slam into our window trying to attack Bosley and August and have caught him watching from some trees we have outside out house. Thank goodness there was glass in between him and our parrots. He flew in hard and quick.

A great horned owl ATE Demitre... That's how I lost my dusky.

 

[Birdman666]

Wow!! I didn't think a sharp shinned could do that much damage they are one of the smaller hawks. It's a good thing you had a helmet on.

Those talons are very powerful, and when they are in a speed dive, that is a whole lot of force directed at a single point...

Figure, even if it isn't at full speed, you're still talking about something striking you moving at around 45-50 MPH, concentrated on a single point, with sharp talons, and strong grip pressure...

That can do some real damage. And if that point is a macaw's neck? The hawk will snap it like a twig...

The one guy apparently overflew the nest, and the sharp shinned hawk went up and gave chase... and sliced the parachute almost in half as he was landing. He hit the ground pretty good, but no injuries...

The hawk apparently learned from hitting me, because the next guy got hit on the shoulder, not the helmet.

 

[Birdman666]

On an unrelated note, one of the most amazing things that ever happened to me in flying, was a sunset load over Skydive Hollister...

There were about 8 red tailed hawks up playing in the thermals, and they were relaxed and as curious about us, as we were about them. We got to play "follow the leader, and swoop and dive with them, in their environment, for about ten minutes" in this beautiful red, orange, and purple sky...

Frankly, I'll never forget it! One of the most amazing days of my life...

 

[SandyBee]

We have Barred Owls and Northern Spotted Owls, both deadly predators.
We also have eagles and Hawks, needless to say our birds are never outside unattended or without a cage.

When the Owl hit the window he stunned himself, he sat on our railing for a few minutes, it was very magical seeing him close up like that. It was Christmas night, guess he was hunting for a special dinner.

 

[Birdman666]

We have Barred Owls and Northern Spotted Owls, both deadly predators.
We also have eagles and Hawks, needless to say our birds are never outside unattended or without a cage.

When the Owl hit the window he stunned himself, he sat on our railing for a few minutes, it was very magical seeing him close up like that. It was Christmas night, guess he was hunting for a special dinner.

My Mom and I used to volunteer down at the Lindsay Museum wildlife refuge... we did a lot of work with hawks, owls and vultures.

 

[Zumaria]

My aunt and uncles cat was taken by a hawk while they were all sitting outside on the porch. Just swooped down and took her.

I put Jenga in a travel cage and sit on the porch with her.

 

[jenphilly]

On an unrelated note, one of the most amazing things that ever happened to me in flying, was a sunset load over Skydive Hollister...

There were about 8 red tailed hawks up playing in the thermals, and they were relaxed and as curious about us, as we were about them. We got to play "follow the leader, and swoop and dive with them, in their environment, for about ten minutes" in this beautiful red, orange, and purple sky...

Frankly, I'll never forget it! One of the most amazing days of my life...

That is an amazing experience!! So its either they try to crack your skull open or play games with you, boy hawks have pretty extreme opinions about you Just teasing, couldn't resist :09:

 

[henpecked]

It's unlikely they would attack if you're with your bird, but I wouldn't leave him/her outside unattended.

I didn't read though the whole thread but here's my .02 worth. Yes they will eat your macaw.Maybe not in the wild so much but here in the US, yes. A pet bird doesn't act like a wild bird. The hawks will key in on any weakness. And yes they will eat them though the cage wire. I've seen the hawks on the aviary reaching their feet though the wire.Red Tails will carry off 8lb chicken from out of my yard. The swainsons and sharp shin will eat them on the ground, chickens twice their size. Pet parrots stand out like a sore thumb.

I did read someone posted about Owls. In our last home we had to close the curtains on the bird room because of the Great Horned owls crashing the window at night.Run outside and find them sitting dazed in the flower bed.

 

[BirdyMomma]

Scary. We like to sit out in the back yard with our birds, and take them to the beach.

The day after Bacci died, my boyfriend insisted we get out of the house. He took me for a drive. We brought Loki. I held her in my arms the entire way. Upon our return home, right in front of our house was a hawk, who had a pigeon he was in the process of mauling..... My boyfriend went to scare the hawk off, which he did, but it wasn't easy. I didn't stick around to watch, but he swears that he rescued the pigeon, and that he lived.

I guess we need to be more careful.

 

[Mare Miller]

Hawks can and will attack but not always. Younger hawks, that don't know about what, will sometimes try and take down a larger bird. I fly my U2, most days, and he is a survivor of a red-tail hawk attack. Thank you Universe, he came out unscathed. What this taught him was, awareness. He is very in tune with his surroundings and always has an eye to the sky. At the first sign of a hawk he will fly in.
Hawks should be a concern but I don't think you need to live your life in fear of your bird being taken out because of the stories you've heard! If you take your pet bird out, it is your responsibility to watch for hawks.

 

[Birdman666]

On an unrelated note, one of the most amazing things that ever happened to me in flying, was a sunset load over Skydive Hollister...

There were about 8 red tailed hawks up playing in the thermals, and they were relaxed and as curious about us, as we were about them. We got to play "follow the leader, and swoop and dive with them, in their environment, for about ten minutes" in this beautiful red, orange, and purple sky...

Frankly, I'll never forget it! One of the most amazing days of my life...

That is an amazing experience!! So its either they try to crack your skull open or play games with you, boy hawks have pretty extreme opinions about you Just teasing, couldn't resist :09:

The red tails weren't on eggs, and didn't have chicks to feed... Can you imagine how many chicks would've have full bellies if they did?!

The sharp shinned hawk had a nest somewhere in our landing field. He was just protecting it. He was being a good dad...

I was actually amazed the red tails let us get that close, but they were up playing in the thermals, and so were we... So I guess it was a kindred spirit kind of thing.

That led to a game of aerial tag, which was probably not the brightest idea... given that they might take it the wrong way and turn on you. And there is NO WAY I could turn with a hawk...

But, it's kind of like the macaw thing. Big confident bird knows you're in the one in trouble if you mess with them. I think they figured out that none of us could turn with them, so we weren't really a threat. Just big stupid, strange looking bird-like things that enjoyed the thermals as much as they did.

"Only a skydiver truly understands why the birds sing!"

 

[Birdman666]

It's unlikely they would attack if you're with your bird, but I wouldn't leave him/her outside unattended.

I did read someone posted about Owls. In our last home we had to close the curtains on the bird room because of the Great Horned owls crashing the window at night.Run outside and find them sitting dazed in the flower bed.

Yeah. My neighbor had a great horned owl living in a hollow in his tree...

Unfortunately, my flighted conure got spooked by the kids next door, and flew off to a convenient hiding place... the hollow in my neighbor's tree.

I couldn't get there in time.

As smart as that bird was in a human setting. He had zero smarts when it came to the great outdoors...

Which I believe, was exactly your point!