Hawks - Behavior

Behavior

Starting in the hawk's early life, the bird is fed by its parents until they leave the nest for good. The young hawk, while still in its fledgling phase, will leave its nest as early as six week old. Once the bird is older it begins its ancestral instinct to hunt. The hawk makes its kills of its prospective meals with its claws as opposed to other predator birds such as the falcon. The falcon uses its claws to catch the prey but kills the small animal with its mouth instead of its claws, like the hawk. The hawk's preferred time for hunting is usually just before night fall when the daylight begins to lessen. Even though the hawk is known for being a violent predator, the bird is actually on the peaceful side. The hawk's main way of transportation is flying. When it flies, the hawk flaps its wings rapidly, and then uses that momentum to glide smoothly and gracefully through the air.

The idea of flocking during migration has been closely analyzed, and there is a conclusion that it is a commutative tool used by birds and other animals to increase survival. It has become very clear to observers that a bird traveling in a flock has a greater chance of survival then if it made the journey alone. Another word used in the United States that has the same meaning as "flock," particularly in terms of groups of hawks, is "kettle."