They stay very still and wait for their prey to come to them and then swoop down,” says VonMutius. “They have great eyesight-that’s why you tend to see them sitting on top of street signs, lights poles and fence posts. However, eagles and osprey typically prefer fish. VonMutius says that birds of prey generally eat a lot of small mammals, including squirrels, rabbits, voles and sometimes reptiles, amphibians and insects. “Birds of prey are really any bird that has a curved beak and talons, and they are also carnivores,” says Laura VonMutius, education manager for the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey in Maitland, Florida. Vultures are also sometimes included as birds of prey. Types of Birds of Prey to Look Out Forīirds of prey include hawks, eagles, owls, osprey, kites and falcons. Luckily, the dog was recovered two days later in a fenced yard about a mile away with only some mild scrapes and scratches. “The owner (of the dog) got into his truck to try and follow the bird, but quickly lost sight,” says Dr. Pete Lands, the director of emergency and critical care for Saint Francis Veterinary Center in Swedesboro, New Jersey, also tells of an incident in which a colleague describes when a hawk picked up a client’s small dog and carried it away. He’d be up in the backyard or sitting right on the railing of my deck, right next to the back door where I carried Minnie out of the house.”ĭr. However, the hawk kept watching for my puppy to come out again. “Thankfully, that was enough to deter the hawk. Pistorius was recovering from a serious illness, and using her cane, got up as quickly as she could, waving the cane and screaming. A very large hawk was directly over her head, coming down.”

“She noticed it too, and looked up about the same time I did. “One of the first times I had her outside, she was on the ground about 6 feet away from me when I noticed a large shadow passing over her,” says Pistorius. However, it wasn’t long after Minnie arrived at the Pistorius home that a hawk began hovering above it.

Birds of prey such as hawks and owls attacking very small pets is uncommon, but there are reports of such incidents.īefore Nancy Pistorius brought Minnie, her 8-week-old, 1-pound Yorkshire Terrier home this past March, she had never seen any birds of prey near her Lawrence, Kansas suburb.

Mississippi kite hawk