Hawks are a large and diverse group of birds of prey, found on all continents except Antarctica. Birds hunt during the day. They use keen eyesight, hooked beaks, and sharp claws to hunt, catch and kill prey. Hawks eat:
- insects;
- small and medium-sized mammals;
- reptiles;
- amphibians;
- cats and dogs;
- other birds.
There are many types of hawks, which are classified into four groups:
- buzzards;
- sparrowhawks;
- black kites;
- harrier.
The classifications are based on the bird’s body type and other physical characteristics. Females are larger than males.
Australian brown hawk
Aguia

African Lesser Sparrowhawk

African vulture

African goshawk

White-tailed deer

Bald eagle

Griffon vulture

White-tailed eagle

Bengal vulture

Snow vulture

Black vulture

African eared vulture

Indian eared vulture

Palm vulture

Golden eagle

Battle eagle

Steppe eagle

Kaffir eagle

Wedge-tailed eagle

Silver eagle

Other birds of the hawk family
Comb eagle

Philippine eagle

Black hermit eagle

Crested hermit eagle

Dwarf eagle

Ovarian eagle

Indian hawk eagle

Hawk eagle

Moluccan eagle

Swampy moon

Meadow harrier

Field harrier

Piebald harrier

Steppe harrier

Borodach

Brown vulture

Common vulture

Snakes

Indian spotted eagle

Lesser Spotted Eagle

Great Spotted Eagle

Turkestan tuvik

European Tuvik

Spanish cemetery

Gravedigger

Whistling kite

Black-winged smoky kite

Black-shouldered smoky kite

Broadmouth kite

Brahmin kite

Red kite

Black kite

Madagascar short-winged buzzard

Red-tailed buzzard

Hawk hawk

Madagascar hawk

Light hawk

Dark songhawk

Sparrowhawk

Black grouse hawk

Cuban hawk

Small sparrowhawk

Road buzzard

Galapagos Canic

Upland Buzzard

Desert Buzzard

Rock buzzard

Fish buzzard

Swenson’s buzzard

Common buzzard

Hawk buzzard

Upland Buzzard

Kurgannik

New guinea harpy

Guiana harpy

South American harpy

Public Slug-Eater Kite

Orlan-belokhvost

Orlan-Dolgohvost

Screaming Eagle

Relax

Crested wasp eater

Conclusion
The body size, length and shape of the wings are different, as are the colors with combinations of black, white, rufous, gray and brown. Birds go through color phases as they grow, adolescents do not look like adults.
Hawks sit on telephone poles or circle over fields in search of prey. They live in areas with a lot of trees, but sometimes nest near houses. Since most species of hawks are large, people think they are eagles. However, eagles have heavier bodies and massive beaks.
Problems arise when hawks attack prey in yards, damage property, and are aggressive in nesting areas.
