Are Hawks Carnivores, Herbivores or Omnivores?
Hawks are omnivores, and they have very opportunistic eating habits. What a hawk eats is generally determined by the hawk’s native habitat, the species of the hawk and the availability of food, but in general, a hawk will eat nearly anything.
Red-tailed hawks are the most widespread hawk species. These birds of prey dive at speeds of up to 120 miles per hour, snagging prey with their super-sharp talons. Red-tailed hawks mainly feed on small mammals, including shrews, mice, squirrels and moles, but they aren’t opposed to eating pets, including cats and small dogs. Other items on the menu for the hawk include ducks, fish, bats, smaller birds, grasshoppers, rabbits, lizards, snakes and frogs. They will also eat dead animals, and when they eat, they swallow everything, including bones, and then regurgitate parts that cannot be digested.