Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Is a hawk able to pick up an 18 pound dog who runs like a fleeing rabbit?

I was told a Red Horned owl or a hawk can take away our Boston Terrier. We live in the foothills of the Santa Monica Mountains.Is a hawk able to pick up an 18 pound dog who runs like a fleeing rabbit?
A Red-tailed Hawk will probably not be able to fly off with your 18 pound dog, but a Great Horned Owl could.





Known as the tigers of the avian world, GHOs are extremely aggressive. Their normal prey includes: rabbits, rats, mice, squirrels, gophers, woodchucks, muskrats, opossums, ducks, geese, herons, swans, poultry, grouse, woodpeckers, crows, jays, hawks, songbirds and other owls. Fish, frogs, snakes and large insects are on the menu, too, along with porcupines and domestic cats. http://www.nucleus.com/~mbak/ghorned.htm





Since both porcupines and swan can weigh over 20 pounds, an 18 pound dog would be no problem for a GHO.Is a hawk able to pick up an 18 pound dog who runs like a fleeing rabbit?
No way. A hawk would have a hard time picking up a 5 pound rabbit. Even a very large and strong eagle can't lift more than 20 pounds.





Unless you mean a UH-60 Black Hawk military aircraft.
Only if he runs fast enough to avoid the coyotes and mountain lions.
No a great horned owl can not lift and carry your boston away nor can a hawk.





Either may be able to kill it. However it is a little large for one to try. Sometimes eagle will try for prey that large and larger, but generally a hawk will not.





We had a smallish female for years and lived in the middle of a wooded area ripe with hawks and owls. None ever tried to hurt her.





And even though owls occasionally take larger prey such as swans they do not carry it away. Besides taking such large prey is the exception NOT the rule!

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