3 Ways to Keep Hawks AWAY From Bird Feeders! (2023)
“Help! A hawk has started hanging around my bird feeders. How can I make it go away, so it doesn’t eat my birds?!”
The above question, or some version of it, is one of the most common that I receive. I can always tell that the person asking has a GIANT heart, and the last thing they want to see is the songbirds or squirrels they attracted get eaten.
I never know exactly what to say because by deciding to feed birds, it’s almost inevitable that hawks will be hanging around with the increased activity. Personally, I enjoy observing these beautiful birds of prey. I know it’s sad when they capture something, but I like to think that they are feeding their babies somewhere, and without that food, they would starve.
- RELATED:Â 16 Types of Hawks that Live in North America (Includes the species that hunt backyard birds!)
Regardless, I decided to sit down and provide some things you can do to help ensure that hawks aren’t successful hunting in your backyard.
Below are 3 easy tips that will help keep hawks away from your bird feeders.
Make sure to read to the end. You will also learn about strategies that DON’T work.
#1. Take your feeders down for a week.
Let me be honest with you:
If you feed birds in your backyard, you WILL attract hawks.
Like any predator, raptors are attracted to places where their prey hangs out. This makes sense if you think about any animal documentary that you’ve ever watched. Typically, the show will display a giant herd of wildebeest and zebras on the African Savannah. Then in the next scene, lions, hyenas, and leopards are shown hunting these mass gatherings!
So knowing this, there is only ONE guaranteed way to keep hawks away from your bird feeders, and it’s what I call the “nuclear option.”
You need to stop feeding the birds temporarily!
I know that’s what you probably don’t want to hear, but it’s true. If you take down your feeders, then the crowds of birds in your backyard will disperse, and so will the hawks.
Personally, I have found that there are times of the year when hawks are more numerous than others. For example, I tend to see the most raptor activity in the fall after juveniles have fledged from the nest. If the predation bothered me, I could easily take down the feeders temporarily and put them back out after the hawks have moved on.
My recommendation is to experiment in your yard or even keep a journal of sightings throughout the year. This way, you will know when there are more hawks in your yard than usual.
#2. Put your bird feeders near safety!
This is my favorite way to prevent hawks from killing feeder birds.
I mean, who wants to constantly take down their feeders every time that they see a hawk? It seems like a lot of effort, and it’s not even guaranteed to keep your songbirds safe, as raptors can easily sneak into your yard before you notice they’re there.
Instead, try this:
Place your bird feeders in the safest location possible!
As much as I enjoy seeing hawks in my backyard, I still prefer for them to catch and eat their prey elsewhere. So when I set up my bird feeding station, I picked a location that gave the feeder birds every possible advantage. You have to make sure they are not sitting ducks (no pun intended)!
Here are two things to think about:
A. Place your feeders near brush and shelter:
Hawks are mainly ambush predators. They sit and wait for their prey and then surprise attack with enormous speed.
To help your songbirds, put your feeders near somewhere they can hide, such as trees, bushes, or other brush. That way, as soon as they see a hawk coming, it’s not far for them to fly to safety! The farther into an open area your bird feeders are located, the more susceptible they are to an attack.
Check out the below video to get a tour of my backyard and bird feeding station. You can see how I placed my feeders very close to the edge of the woods!
As an added bonus, having your feeders near a potential shelter also means you will attract more birds. There are many species that won’t feel comfortable eating out in the open due to the likelihood of being hunted.
The only problem with having your feeding station close to trees and brush is that it’s easier for squirrels to jump onto your feeders!
B. Put your feeders underneath something:
As we just discussed, hawks are ambush predators, and they almost always perch high in a tree so they can attack from above!
By providing protection from above, any hawk that decides to attack must come from the side. This small change should help give additional time for your birds to get away.
Some examples of places that provide protection are underneath low-hanging tree branches, awnings, or even gazebos.
In my yard, I put my feeders close to safety AND under tree branches.
This combination helps to keep my birds extremely safe. I have live cameras that watch my bird feeders all day, every day, so someone is always monitoring what’s going on in my backyard. In the past few years, I can count on two hands the number of times a hawk has caught a bird.
In fact, it’s fun to watch how many the hawks have MISSED!
Watch ABOVE to see 25 times that hawks attacked my feeders unsuccessfully!
#3. Don’t feed birds and squirrels on the ground!
Hawks rarely catch anything on your actual feeders. Instead, they have MUCH better success hunting for birds and squirrels that are eating ON THE GROUND.
To avoid having hawks successfully hunt, keep bird food OFF the ground!
So, how do you do this?
Pay close attention to your feeders!
Most birds are messy eaters and will poke through and throw birdseed around, looking for the food they want to eat. You are going to need bird feeders that don’t allow birds to do this!
Most hopper feeders and trays are probably bad options since birds can sit on a platform and have plenty of room to throw food around, leading to some ending up on the ground.
Look for feeders where birds must reach inside to grab a piece of food.Â
One feeder that would be a good choice is the Absolute II.
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The seed is enclosed in the food reservoir and has a metal lip that prevents (much) food from spilling out. It’s one of my favorite feeders since it’s durable, squirrel-proof, and holds a lot of food.
- RELATED:Â The 16 Best Bird Feeders In MY Backyard!
Another way to prevent foods from ending up on the ground is to install a tray underneath the feeders. Many tube feeders have trays that you can secure to the bottom. You can also attach a dish or bin that catches fallen seeds.
The combination that I use is an Aspects tube feeder, with an 8.5-inch tray attached to the bottom.
What are things you SHOULDN’T do to prevent hawks?
Every so often, whether it’s on social media or another website, I see people say things about how to stop hawks that don’t work or are just cruel.
In no particular order, here are some things you should ignore.
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Owl decoys
I’m still not sure why a hawk would be scared of a piece of plastic that looks like an owl? Hawks are incredibly adapted and efficient hunters, so I think we should give them more credit. 🙂
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Noise deterrents
I have seen people who want to prevent hawks by using ultrasonic bird repellents, which scare away birds using sound.
Umm… even if this does work, it would also scare away all the birds at your feeders!
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Shooting, trapping, or poison.
First, this is highly illegal. The federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act protects birds in the United States.
Second, killing a beautiful bird of prey is just mean and cruel. Please don’t do this.
Try to appreciate hawks in your backyard!
If possible, stop hating hawks so much, and learn to appreciate these spectacular birds of prey. They are exciting to watch.
And if you follow some of the tips in this article, I’m confident you can keep hawks away from your bird feeders.
Instead, they will be forced to hunt at your neighbors’ feeders. 🙂
Scott
I also noticed the crows keep the hawks away and learned plain dog kibble is a good meal for crows (and ravens). So I sprinkle kibble for the crows in the early morning, about 15′ from my feeders. Seems to help for the short time the crows are around eating.
Honestly, I understand that hawks eat little birds – that is just the way of life. My problem is hawks flying into the window. This has happened once so far. (last week, in fact -a Cooper Hawk) Today, a very huge hawk sat on a branch watching my bird feeder. If he missed, he would have gone through the window. I live in an apartment along a small creek. I don’t really have choices as to where to hang my feeder. I’ve taken it down and will put it back up in a week. In all the years I’ve lived here, this is the first time I’ve had such a problem with hawks.
Remember NASA’s DART mission? I do the same, thing, only with my arm, hand, and stones. I take a stone, aim, and throw it at the hawk. It gets knocked off course and crashes into the ground.
For the past five years the doves have been birthing here is that the current word. And some that have been coming for longer today a hawk parade and ate a baby dove I was stunned. Now what do I do can I move the nest that they’ve been using for the past four years under my awning. Or they will they continue eating the doves that come here.?? What are the best remedies for this situation I have snakes had a snake in the house a month ago I have so many mice. I’m just disgusted that they got the dove. My dogs are out all the time he’s a sneaky sneaky predator that hawk dammit! Somebody answer me thank you
I ended up attracting the ravens unintentionally. I’m in a rural area at the edge of the wilderness. My cats would occasionally kill a rodent or bird but almost never eat it. Instead of being killed for nothing I started putting them on the wildlife trail that is next to our property for predators to discover at night. To my surprise they were disappearing during the day. The only explanation was ravens. That started me putting out raw meat treats for them. It was also a great way to get rid of extra chicken skin and things I didn’t want to eat anymore or that would spoil otherwise. Raw meat is a great attractor for ravens. Especially fatty pieces. Just make sure no salt.
I had a terribly time with hawks for several years. Then I heard if you put shiny things hanging around it frightens them away. I hung some old CDs in the brush and trees and it seemed to work. No more hawk attacks on the rabbits and doves, WHEN the sun is out. There is the rare attack in the early morning or after sunset. The hawks seem to be afraid of the dancing light from the reflection. The doves and rabbits do not notice. We also have lots of other crazy birds coming and going. I had a bald eagle today!
What a lovely post. What do you feed the ravens and how long did it take to attract them? I live in northeast Florida where my backyard is a tidal creek & marsh, so most commonly I see fish crows, but I do see ravens occasionally. Unfortunately a hawk has just started visiting my backyard. When I hear the titmice raise a commotion I know the hawk is there lurking, and I run out and chase it away. But this isn’t much of a plan and I would love to get some help from our non-preditary large birds! Thank you for sharing your thoughts.
I have several tray feeders. Each has a screen beneath it to catch seed, and in addition, I cut a piece of temporary plastic fencing with 1″ openings and put it over the seed to keep them from ” digging and scratching” it out of the feeder. FYI No bird has ever gotten hooked in it.
You didn’t mention dangers of snakes hanging around feeders. Are they only trouble for bird houses?
Over the past year I have developed a relationship with a pair of ravens. I put food out for them every day and they keep the hawks away. It is a bonus I had not anticipated.
I scatter seed for quail every day beside bushes where they can quickly take cover. And also under an oak tree for towhees and sparrows where they can quickly take refuge. A tray feeder for jays is hanging under an oak tree. One time I scattered seed for the birds and couldn’t understand why not one bird came for it. Then I looked up and saw a hawk. They had seen it too. Not until the hawk left did they come out. I have never seen a hawk take a bird here. And I certainly enjoy watching them. They are beautiful.
just another name for about any hawk, because they all go after chickens
I was bothered by both Coopers and cats, so I purchased a 4x4x6 wire dog kennel for about $160, which also had a canvas roof and a door, and I raised it on breeze blocks! The birds love it and the wire walls don’t seem to bother them – they go right through them! Even birds as large as a scrub Jay!
I have put a couple of plant trellises up in the open space near my feeder to prevent the hawks from swooping down to grab a songbird.
I used to have lots of finches too, but the neighbor now has about 30 cats and my birds have disappeared.
I battle hawks year round. My neighbors think I’m nuts 😂. I had a Cooper’s Hawk follow a martin straight into the martin house and he was hanging on for dear life trying to get to the martin. Usually martins, blue jays, mockingbirds, and crows will chase the hawks away (after the blue jays sound the alarm). I’ve also noticed the blue jays have adopted hawk calls so the birds scatter and they can have the feeders to themselves.
Thanks for the tips. I do have hawks around a lot but my feeder just happens to be in a place as you described. However, I also have a finch feeder and when we first put it up years ago we had tons of finches on it. Then suddenly none. I keep trying but to no avail. I do see finches in the yard from time to time and there are a bunch on my nieghbors feeder.
Very good information, Scott.
One point I would like to bring out is that the Red-tailed and Red-shouldered and Swainson’s hawks (the Buteos) favor small mammals like squirrels, mice and rats, along with small birds and carrion, etc. So they aren’t so bad to have around the yard.
What is a chicken hawk?