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How to Feed Red Tailed Hawks

Red hawks are widely distributed throughout the US, Canada, Mexico and down to South America. They are 19 to 24 inches in length and the females can be up to 25 percent bigger than the males. Red hawks feed on a wide variety of animals, although 80 to 85 percent of their diet is made up of small rodents. They also feed on reptiles and other birds, even fish and insects can form part of their diet. Red tailed hawks do not feed only on live prey and have been seen eating carrion such as road kills. This makes it easy to feed them yourself.

Things You'll Need

Entrails of rats or chickens
Tweezers
Chunks of meat or fish

Instructions

- 1
  Feed red tail hawks chicks the entrails of baby chickens or rats. Make sure that the meat is cut into small pieces, and is at room temperature.
- 2
  Pick up each piece individually with a pair of tweezers, raise the head of the hawk and tap the side of the bill. This mimics the actions of a parent in the wild.
- 3
  Wait until the bird opens it's mouth. Drop the meat into the bird's mouth. Feed until the bird no longer opens its mouth. Young birds should be fed every 1/2 hour to 2 hours.
- 4
  Cut meat or fish into small chunks and leave outside in a tree or a plastic bowl when feeding adult birds. Ensure that the meat is above ground level.

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