How can I tell a hawk in the sky?

[Shamo Hybrid]

A bird with bad intentions will circle around in the sky.

 

[Ribh]

A bird with bad intentions will circle around in the sky.

Don't know about your birds but here they will just ride the thermals for fun. If they start dropping down & widening their circle something's in trouble!

 

[WthrLady]

Don't know about your birds but here they will just ride the thermals for fun. If they start dropping down & widening their circle something's in trouble!

Agree. I have hawks that will sit on the roof top prey spotting, same with the owls. Strikes come without warning. I know of no predatory birds that announce their impending attack by circling around for a better look. They spot they go.

 

[Ribh]

Agree. I have hawks that will sit on the roof top prey spotting, same with the owls. Strikes come without warning. I know of no predatory birds that announce their impending attack by circling around for a better look. They spot they go.

We are on water: osprey, sea hawks, Australian eagles, swamp harriers etc. Most prefer to scavenge rather than hunt but hunting fish is different. The birds will skim across the water waiting an opportunity to strike. Falcons hunt & there is no warning.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Scarecrows won't work on hawks. Dogs might.

Vultures, which should largely be considered harmless, are largely black or dark grey. They have naked heads, and a hunched posture when perching. They're very slow and usually circle or glide. The feathers at the ends of their wings are spread apart, and look a bit like fingers.

Hawks come in a variety of colors, but are generally brown or tan. Some might have reddish areas on their body. They fly a bit faster than vultures, have feathers on their heads, and sit up straight when perching. They don't flap much most of the time, and are very big birds, gliding slowly. They usually have barring, flecks, or other patterns. The feathers at the ends of their wings are closer together than on vultures.

Eagles look like hawks, but bigger, with less patterning.

Falcons have wings shaped a bit like a boomerang, are smaller, and fly much faster. They have long tails and are generally tan and white. They probably aren't a threat to adult chickens.

Crows and ravens are pretty distinctive black birds, who flap a lot more than birds of prey. They may hassle chickens if allowed to do so, corvids are known to mess with other animals for fun, but aren't generally dangerous unless you have baby chicks. In fact, if you encourage some corvids to hang around, they'll chase away hawks.

I'd suggest looking up "birds of prey [your area here]", or something of the sort, to learn what large birds you have in the area. That way you can learn what your potential predators look like. You can also look up "hawk vs vulture" to see some picture comparisons.

Good explanation.

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

Don't know about your birds but here they will just ride the thermals for fun. If they start dropping down & widening their circle something's in trouble!

Well... in your part of land every animal have bad intentions, 99% of them are poisonous. Personally, I've seen a few hawks circling above near my coop.... that always raises the alarm to me as if they are scouting. But you are right, sometimes birds do just ride the wave up in the skies....... but not sure if it's for 'fun' or planning an attack on your beloved chickens! Either way, I'm not taking a chance and just sitting idly by, I usually run out and flail my arms about like a madman to hopefully deter his sinister plan.

 

[Ribh]

Well... in your part of land every animal have bad intentions, 99% of them are poisonous. Personally, I've seen a few hawks circling above near my coop.... that always raises the alarm to me as if they are scouting. But you are right, sometimes birds do just ride the wave up in the skies........

lol Our publicity department has done a great job! 99% of our snakes are poisonous & a lot of what comes out of the oceans but the rest is just strange... you know: koalas & roos & paddymelons.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

Agree. I have hawks that will sit on the roof top prey spotting, same with the owls. Strikes come without warning. I know of no predatory birds that announce their impending attack by circling around for a better look. They spot they go.

We have a huge population of Vultures that circle down by the river and work their way over my yard and then south .. even though they don’t attack living things they are very intimidating. I always grabbed up my puppies and took them inside.

 

[Fishkeeper]

A vulture might circle your yard if it smells something interesting nearby, or if you have a thermal overhead.
Vultures are big! I've seen some fairly close up. Sometimes an animal gets killed on the road in front of our house, and I always move it out of the road so vultures trying to feed on it won't get hit. Not only do I like vultures (vital to a healthy ecosystem, and their stomachs digest and kill just about every pathogen, including rabies), they're big enough to block an entire windshield if you hit one. Plus, I like to watch them eat, their social dynamics are interesting. I've seen cats stalk them, and the cats always reconsider, they're just too big. They don't seem bothered by cats, either. They're afraid of people, though, they'll even want not to approach a kill if you're watching through an open window.

 

[HennyPenny2019]

A vulture might circle your yard if it smells something interesting nearby, or if you have a thermal overhead.
Vultures are big! I've seen some fairly close up. Sometimes an animal gets killed on the road in front of our house, and I always move it out of the road so vultures trying to feed on it won't get hit. Not only do I like vultures (vital to a healthy ecosystem, and their stomachs digest and kill just about every pathogen, including rabies), they're big enough to block an entire windshield if you hit one. Plus, I like to watch them eat, their social dynamics are interesting. I've seen cats stalk them, and the cats always reconsider, they're just too big. They don't seem bothered by cats, either. They're afraid of people, though, they'll even want not to approach a kill if you're watching through an open window.

I agree that they are interesting to watch and I’d never want to see one harmed.