Take the feeder down for a few days to a week. The hawk is drawn by the concentration of prey a feeder creates, not by the feeder itself, and it will usually move on once that easy hunting ground disappears. It's also not legal to harm, trap, or otherwise interfere with the hawk, since birds of prey are protected under Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act even though federal migratory bird law doesn't cover them.
Why Is a Hawk Hunting at a Bird Feeder in the First Place?
A feeder concentrates songbirds in one predictable spot, which is exactly what makes it an efficient hunting ground for a predator. Cooper's Hawks and Sharp-shinned Hawks, the two accipiter species most commonly seen doing this at backyard feeders, are built to ambush small birds in exactly that kind of setting. It's a normal predator-prey interaction playing out in a backyard rather than a sign that something's wrong with the feeder or the setup.
Is It Legal to Do Anything About the Hawk Itself?
No. Hawks fall outside Canada's federal Migratory Birds Convention Act, which doesn't cover the Accipitridae family, but Ontario's Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act protects birds of prey provincially, so harming, trapping, or killing one remains illegal. A hawk hunting at a feeder is also a sign the yard supports enough prey birds to draw a predator in the first place, which is closer to evidence of a healthy local food web than a problem that needs solving at the hawk's expense.
Should You Take the Feeder Down?
Yes, temporarily. Removing the feeder for a few days to a week takes away the concentrated prey that attracted the hawk, and most accipiters move on to hunt elsewhere once that easy opportunity is gone. The feeder can go back up once the hawk has stopped appearing regularly, and the songbirds that depend on it will typically return within a day or two of refilling it.
Does Feeder Placement or Design Make a Difference?
Somewhat. A Round Squirrel Resistant Cage Seed Feeder surrounds the feeding ports with a wire cage, priced at $44.95, which makes it harder for a hawk to grab a bird directly off the feeder itself, though it won't stop a hawk from hunting birds as they approach or leave the feeding area in the open. Placing a feeder within a few feet of dense shrub cover gives feeding birds somewhere to dive for safety, which matters more for reducing the risk than the feeder design alone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will taking the feeder down hurt the birds that depend on it?
Not for a short pause. Most backyard birds get the bulk of their diet from natural sources even with a feeder available, so a week or two without one doesn't put them at serious risk, though it's worth refilling promptly once the hawk stops appearing.
Is a hawk at the feeder a sign something is wrong with the yard?
No, generally the opposite. A hawk hunting at a feeder usually means the yard supports enough prey birds to draw a predator, which reflects a functioning backyard food web rather than a flaw in the setup.
Do hawks mainly target specific species at a feeder?
Often, in practice, whatever songbird species are most abundant there, with mourning doves and house sparrows frequently among the more common targets, rather than the hawk specializing narrowly in one species.
Should a hawk sighting be reported to anyone?
Only if it appears sick, injured, or is behaving abnormally. A healthy hawk hunting normally doesn't need to be reported; a provincial wildlife authority is the right contact if you see an injured or clearly ill bird.
Can a hawk come back to the same yard repeatedly?
Yes. If a yard reliably offers an easy meal, a hawk may return often or treat the area as part of its regular hunting territory, which is part of why taking the feeder down temporarily can break that pattern.
