When my dad was younger, he said he seen hawks pick up rabbits and drop then in an open feild to kill them. then he said that he knew a guy that seen a hawk take either one of his lambs, or maybe a full grown sheep into the air and drop it to the ground. could this have happend? thanks!
2006-10-20 17:13:29 · 14 answers · asked by piano_man_969 2 in Pets ➔ Birds
hawks can pick up rabbits and anything small but not sheep only an eagle can do that
2006-10-21 00:34:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
no this doe's not happen the only bird that is capable of picking up lambs is a golden eagle and then the lambs would have to be newborn and very far away from humans, what may have happened is that after the lambs had been docked the hawks and buzzards will come down and pick up the tails and because it is a woolly white thing it looks like a lamb but it is not. the only thing that could pick up a fully grown sheep is a haast's Eagle. And they are extinct.
Your dad may have seen a hawk try to fly away with a full rabbit but they are usually too heavy and they drop them, the rabbits are already dead or nearly dead at this point, because raptors kill using their feet to crush the skull or break the neck. Most raptors eat their food on the floor unless they are carrying smaller prey for their young.
2006-10-22 12:10:07 · answer #2 · answered by Aquila 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hawk Picks Up Baby
2016-10-02 22:02:00 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
While Lammergeier (vulture, doesn't live in the US) are known to drop bones from up high to crack them and get at marrow, I don't know of any raptor that is going to kill prey that way. That's why they have sharp talons and beaks.
They might be able to kill a young lamb, but they're not going to fly off with it. They would able to carry a piece of rabbit off, I'd say large raptors can lift a few pounds, but they're sure not going to be flying around with a lamb that probably weighs near as much as they do. Birds are built light for flight, they're not going to be able to stay in the air dragging a sheep!
I've seen a Red-tailed Hawk drop a rabbit. We went over and looked at it, and it was just the back half of it. I bet the rabbit your dad saw a hawk drop was already dead, and the hawk was just carrying it somewhere.
2006-10-20 20:26:53 · answer #4 · answered by Strix 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
seen a golden eagle pick up a small mountain goat and had a very hard time doing it a hawk being a much smaller bird compared to the golden eagle i would say that would be impossible usually a hawk will kill on impact and eat its fill on the ground if it's a larger kill, a mouse is bout the only kill i have seen a hawk carry off, i see them get rabbits doves and cats around here all the time and a occasional squirrel, its usually the eagles who have the power to carrie its kill off
2006-10-20 22:51:53 · answer #5 · answered by howie 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
With a newborn or very young lamb absolutely. A grown sheep or older lamb no. Lambs are only a few pounds when born less than grown rabbits or large fish even.
2006-10-20 17:19:44 · answer #6 · answered by emily 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i seen a chicken hawk pick up a white turkey so yes it could have happened n i seen hawks even go after full grown cats
2006-10-20 17:19:07 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Possibly a very small newborn.A hawk usually drives it's beak into the top of the skull of it's prey to kill it.
2006-10-20 17:25:29 · answer #8 · answered by bill b 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
i dont really believe that a hawk bird can lifted a sheep off the ground cant be true . but baby lamb either cant cant carrying away , maybe other animals can lie fox and wolf or mountain loin. but hawk its a birds no. i think that person who told your dad maybe he was just jokeying about it or just wish can ..
2006-10-20 17:21:30 · answer #9 · answered by sk 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
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2017-03-03 13:18:05 · answer #10 · answered by ? 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋