hawk or falcon or what

[Oscgrr]

I had my first run in with a predator today. I opened the run to let the chickens out for a little quality free range and I didn't get more than fifty feet away before I heard a whoose and a thud and a lot of bawking and fluttering. I turned around in time to see a very large bird of prey liftiing into the air and all my chickens were either in the woods, under the tractor or in the coop. I don't think it could've taken off with one of my birds, they're BRs and RIRs and very nearly full grown but it certainly could kill one and who knows, it might have been big enough to fly with a seven pound chicken. As it was flying away I got a good look at it amd I'm not sure what it was. It was clearly a bird of prey and it was HUGE. It had dark wings and a tan body. I looked up hawks, falcons and eagles on the internet and the thing it closest resembles is a peregrine falcon but do they get very big and are they native to Massachusetts?

I don't think I'll be letting the chickens free range again anytime soon.

 

[midget_farms]

Peregrins are not that large - it was most likely a red tail hawk. They can't lift that heavy of a chicken - but they will pull up a chair & enjoy a good meal before they leave if you let them.

 

[tamberlin]

could have been a Coopers Hawk. They tend to go after birds exclusively. I've seen several around my coop. Be careful! A red tailed hawk got one of my chickens through the bird netting yesterday! It was HUGE! The chicken it killed was not more than 3 lbs, and it did not carry it off.

 

[swimmer]

Probably not a falcon.