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What Is the Phylum of a Hawk?

A hawk is a bird of prey generally identified by its broad wingspan, long feathered tail, sharply hooked beak and large curved talons (claws) with which it captures its food. From its perch or while in flight, a hawk can zero in on small ground animals and swoop in to seize one by beak and talons in the blink of an eye. It belongs to the phylum Chordata, which is the same as humans.

Phylum
- Within the hierarchy of organism classification, Phylum falls between Kingdom and Class. The Phylum (plural, Phyla) is used to classify living things that share the same body structure within its classified Kingdom (animal, vegetable or mineral). The hawk's Kingdom classification is animal. Its Phylum is Chordata which is more specific than Kingdom, but less specific than Class.
Chordata
- As an animal classified within the Chordata phylum, the hawk may also be referred to as a chordate. According to the ORACLE "ThinkQuest" Education Foundation, "All chordates have a dorsal hollow nerve tube, a notochord and pharyngeal gill slits. All vertebrates (members of a subphylum of chordata) have a backbone (spinal column) and a closed circulatory system." We share the chordate classification with the hawk, as well as fish, amphibians, reptiles and other birds and mammals.
Visual Identification
- Hawk is a general term which includes birds of prey from a buzzard or vulture, in general, to a sparrow hawk or red-tailed hawk, in particular. In addition to being a bird of prey in the phylum chordata, a hawk is further classified according to its size, geography, markings and choice of prey. Markings include coloring around the eyes, beak, feathers, talons and tail.
Human Connection
- We share the Chordata phylum with hawks because we are both animals and have a vertebrate. We even attribute hawk-like characteristics to describe others. Have you ever used or heard the term, "She watched me like a hawk?" "Eagle eye" and "Hawk eye" are two other examples.

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