Most of the time a hawk will try to eat quickly . If it stays on the ground it is more vulnerable to attack. Hawks have the advantage of having a crop. The crop is a widening of the esophagus where the bird can hold food and take a little at a time to its stomach. That means the bird can quickly take in the food on the ground and then take time to sit in a tree and digest the food slowly. In the wild a red-tailed hawk may eat only every couple of days.
Great Horned Owls are called winged tigers of the night. The rule that a bird will eat something not greater than half its body weight is not true of great horned owls. They can ambush their prey with silent flight and have been known to kill red-tailed hawks. Unfortunately, people also prey upon raptors both on purpose and by accident. Eighty percent of red-tailed hawks won't see their first birthday.
http://www.smm.org/warnernaturecenter/programs/faq_red_tailed_hawk.php
Great Horned Owls are called winged tigers of the night. The rule that a bird will eat something not greater than half its body weight is not true of great horned owls. They can ambush their prey with silent flight and have been known to kill red-tailed hawks. Unfortunately, people also prey upon raptors both on purpose and by accident. Eighty percent of red-tailed hawks won't see their first birthday.
http://www.smm.org/warnernaturecenter/programs/faq_red_tailed_hawk.php
