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Do Sparrow Hawks attack buns?

Boudicca

Warren Veteran
There is a large female Sparrow Hawk in my area and she's slowly picking off the collered doves in my garden plucking them out of the almond tree :censored: I would like my buns to free range in my garden when it's warmer but am terrified this bird might attack them? I've heard conflicting stories an avid bird watcher says they will be fine others say no?!
 
They usually go for other birds. But if you let your bunnies run around in the garden, make sure you are sitting out there with them. Foxes will always find a way to get into your garden, at any time of day.
 
I have never had a confirmed report of one attacking a rabbit, but then people will say they only take small birds but I have seen a sparrowhawk take a full grown magpie and wood pigeons:?
I do think birds of prey, like other species, are adapting to whats around them and whats on offer, so extra care should be taken especially with smaller breeds.

I have also been seeing buzzards, which are huge and thought to stay away from built-up areas, flying very low over our estate and circling as if watching for prey:(
 
It certainly wouldn't be able to pick it up and carry it away (unless it were young or small breed) but it might still swoop for a bunny and attack it :?

Something did that to Lily back when I lived in the north of England in a fairly built-up area near York, I was only 5 or 6 meters away from her watching her graze and a bird with dark brown wings swooped down :shock: It didn't get low enough to grab her (missed by a whole meter above her head!) and it was there and gone again through the trees so quickly that I didn't get chance to see what kind of bird it was but it was definitly a bird of prey.

My dad is an old-fashioned nature lover and a bit of a wild bird nut, he said it could have been a sparrow hawk as he had seen one around recently. He warned me that even if one couldn't physically carry a rabbit away, it may still occasionally attack one on the ground :shock: I'm always so careful now to watch the skies like a hawk - no pun intended! :lol:

It might not be true of course, but dad knows a lot more about birds than I do so I'd rather go with his word and be safe rather than sorry especially after it nearly happened!
 
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There is a large female Sparrow Hawk in my area and she's slowly picking off the collered doves in my garden plucking them out of the almond tree :censored: I would like my buns to free range in my garden when it's warmer but am terrified this bird might attack them? I've heard conflicting stories an avid bird watcher says they will be fine others say no?!

YES, sparrow hawks eat meat if they can carry your bun off then yes they will. They take wild bunnies etc. If they couldn't pick bun up they would sure try and tear some meat off to eat and eyes are quite easy to peck out.
You should never leave your bunny unattended in garden unless it is in a very secure run.
Even magpies try and peck rabbits so you have to watch them
 
YES, sparrow hawks eat meat if they can carry your bun off then yes they will. They take wild bunnies etc. If they couldn't pick bun up they would sure try and tear some meat off to eat and eyes are quite easy to peck out.
You should never leave your bunny unattended in garden unless it is in a very secure run.
Even magpies try and peck rabbits so you have to watch them

I've seen magpies doing this. I'm pretty sure they're after the fur for their nests rather than flesh, but I don't entirely trust them- I'm sure they would eat a rabbit if they could :shock:
 
in a word... no :)

buzzards and goshawks would, but not sparrowhawks, kestrels, kites etc.

Agree wholeheartedly with Faye on this one no!

Its whole design is for speed to hunt other birds, even the fairly large ones that Jill has seen attacked don't actually weigh that much. An adult wood pigeon is about 500g.

A large female sparrow hawk weighs about 300g, even if it tried it wouldn't be able to lift a rabbit off the ground, even a small nethie weighs about a kilo.
 
even if it's a probably no I wouldn't risk free ranging unsupervised. I may be paranoid because two of mine are very small but I'm worried about them becoming cat snax, let alone bird food :shock::lol: I've changed the garden so they can still free range but I'm always with them just in case.
 
Either way, foxes, cats and buzzards are probably a greater danger. I love to let my buns free range but they need to be supervised :)
 
Thanks v much for all of your comments! I'm way to paranoid to leave my babies unattended in the garden so hopefully I would be able to protect them from any dangers! I've even considered setting up the portaloo for fear of leaving them for 5mins :lol: it's sods law that something would happen at that moment I dread to think what the neighbours would think as I went flying from the loo knicks round ankles screaming my head off :lol: :lol:
 
I had a sparrow hawk coming into my garden regually last year and it didnt touch the buns,they are continental giants though.A few yeras ago I came down stairs and there was a buzzard sat on a post next to my baby lop Thumper and Im sure If i hadnt appeared when i did I would have never seen Thumper again.
Sparrow hawks usually go for smaller prey such as little birds and mice
 
Sparrowhawk

Hi
Im Beth and i am a University student. I am in my 3rd (final) year, and i have decided to write my dissertation on the 'threats and opportunities for Sparrowhawks'
I hope you don't mind me joining this forum, I have created a questionnaire about Sparrowhawks hunting. I would really appreciate it if you would take the time to fill it out. Also if you know anyone else who has seen a Sparrowhawk hunting, please pass on my request.
Any help is massively appreciated!
Many Thanks
Beth
 
Sparrowhawks food use to be entirely small birds but they now seem to go for bigger birds like pigeon's and collared doves, we have lost loads of collared doves to the sparrowhawk. They don't usually take adult rabbits as they are to big for them to handle but I wouldn't rule out them having a go at baby or small bunnies. We had a young wildie in our front garden and as we were watching it the sparrowhawk came down and took a little house sparrow and ignored the wildie but the wildie shot off into the hedge.

Just found this

http://www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/wildlife-habitats/local-wildlife/sparrowhawks
 
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I agree, sparrowhawks - NO

It is also unlikely that a buzzard would take a rabbit from a small garden either. Buzzards will not land anywhere where there is too much stuff - bushes, trees, washing lines etc... too much of a risk of damage to their wings which for a buzzard is life threatening. Big open gardens then yes maybe, but not your regular suburban enclosed garden.

I also, however, never let my buns freerange unsupervised.
 
I've seen a sparrowhawk in my garden going for my birds before (budgies). Makes me glad the mesh on my aviary is 1/2 inch and no bigger.
I don't think they would take a rabbit but I always supervise my bunnies when free ranging anyway. There are cats around too.
 
I have a sparrowhawk family in my garden almost every year.

The full grown adults go after the birds but the younger fledglings like to dive bomb and pull up over my rabbits run; they have not tried to take a bun but my buns always flee to their hutch out of the way when they do. I would think if they did this on a very timid rabbit it would cause them enormous stress.
 
I have a sparrowhawk family in my garden almost every year.

The full grown adults go after the birds but the younger fledglings like to dive bomb and pull up over my rabbits run; they have not tried to take a bun but my buns always flee to their hutch out of the way when they do. I would think if they did this on a very timid rabbit it would cause them enormous stress.


I agree many buns instinctively know the general shape of a bird of prey & consider all as predators.
Mine doesn't have this skill & is frightened of anything bigger than a blackbird in the sky :roll: but does at least run somewhere safe - under a thorney gooseberry bush.
I don'tl leave mine unattended free ranging outside for a second. I've also tuned in to the alarm calls of a dozen birds. They're better look outs than I am &even tell you if it's a predator on the ground or in the air!
 
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