Hawks and owls do coexist in a sense of speaking.
Coexisting means that they can live in the same environment but not necessarily interact.
However, if you’re thinking of putting owls and Hawks in the same shelter that is most likely not going to work.
Owls attack hawks and hawks attack owls.
While they are both carnivorous birds of prey however their sleeping habits are not similar. Most owls are nocturnal Hawks are diurnal.
Stick with us as we explore further the relationship between Hawks and owls, and how or if they get along.
Feeding owls and hawks together
Feeding is an important aspect of the survival of any animal.
Birds of prey are carnivorous which means they eat flesh, They usually hunt and eat other animals or themselves.
Feeding Hawks and owls together could pose a challenge because there are a lot of things to consider when you want to do this. They include :
1. Time of Feeding
This is an essential part of feeding any animal, for Hawks and owls this becomes particularly very important.
You need to know when these birds usually eat if you would even attempt to feed them together.
Most owls are nocturnal and this means that they feed at night, it is while most animals are sleeping that owls hunt for their food and eat so they get to rest throughout the day.
This is not the case with Hawks, because Hawks are diurnal they hunt for their food and feed during the day so they rest at night.
As you can see already this poses a big problem. How can you feed two birds together if one of them eats at night while the other eats only during the day.
So as for feeding Hawks and owls together, this is the first problem you most likely would face.
The above is not to mean that there are no owls that feed during the day or there are no Hawks that feed at night.
Some owls are diurnal like Hawks, which means they hunt and feed during the day and rest at night.
Even the fully nocturnal owls would wake up during the day to feed or hunt for food if they are extremely hungry. Hawks too will search for food at night if they are hungry.
You should consider the type of owl you have when you think of feeding your owl and Hawks together.
They most likely will not eat together like chickens and Guineas because they are birds of prey.
2. Food choice
If you consider feeding owls and Hawks together you must consider their food choice.
Though they are both carnivorous birds, they don’t eat the same prey.
3. Water
Most birds of prey do not drink water often because the prey they consume usually has blood that supplies most of the fluid they need.
Generally speaking, you can hardly feed birds of prey, except when domesticated.
If you seek to feed wild owls and Hawks your success rate is going to be limited.
Birders try to feed Hawks and owls by attracting them to yards.
It is not advised that you throw raw flesh to attract Hawks or owls, simply try to create an abundance of living prey and they will come; maybe not at the same time but they will come.
Related: Here is an article I wrote on why owls scream
Cans owls and hawks live together
Hawks and owls do not live together, In the wild, they generally live in the same or similar habitats.
Owls are nocturnal while hawks are diurnal, this means they Don’t have the same cycles, while the Hawks sleeps the owl haunts while the house sleeps the hawk hunts.
This would seem like a perfect union but it is not.
They do not compete with each other while hunting because they haunt at different times however they do hunt each other so this can be problematic.
An owl could swoop down and kill a hawk while the Hawks sleeps, the reverse could also be the case. Having two species of birds of prey live together is a great challenge.
Hawks and owls can inhabit the same span of area, in this sense, they live together or coexist, but they also prey on each other.
They do not compete while hunting because they hunt at different times, but they hunt each other at these different times. Their diet is similar but not identical.
If you have a hawk and an owl which you raised from when they were hatchlings the situation would be different although they would still be challenges.
Do owls and hawks get along?
No, Hawks and owls do not get along.
They are not birds that can live side by side. They are predators and they are at the top of the food chain, this is so much so that they even prey on each other.
They do not commonly have opportunities for fights because of their very different cycles/niches.
Owls hunt and are active at night while Hawks hunt and are active during the day.
This does not provide them with many opportunities to interact with each other and have disputes.
Whenever they seem to be cause for dispute between Owls and Hawks the size of the owl matters a lot,
A hawk would avoid getting into any dispute with a large owl while if the case was different a hawk would be more disposed to getting into a dispute.
This means that a hawk would not pick a fight with a massive owl, in this sense they do get along.
Owls on the other hand would haunt Hawks at night swoop in and kill the Hawks.
This is facilitated by the fact that owls are nocturnal hunters and they are very stealthy hunters.
It is known that great horned owls hunt Hawks regularly.
These birds are not in direct competition so in the sense of that lack of competition they get along, but in the real sense of things, considering their peculiar patterns and the fact that they hunt and kill each other it could be said that they do not get along.
Also check out this article I wrote on how do owls show affection
Will owls kill hawks?
Yes, Owls kill Hawks.
Generally, we know that owls hunt at night when birds like Hawks are sleeping.
Owls take the younglings and the eggs of hawks stealthily at night while hawks sleep.
The hunting style of owls is impeccable: while the hawk sleeps the owl would knock the hawk off the perch they are on.
This usually leaves the hawk confused or stunned most of the time, so the hawk would not be able to do anything while the owl performs their enterprise.
Specifically, the great horned owl is fond of hunting down and killing red-tailed Hawks using the method of flying from above, swooping down, surprising the hawk, and killing the hawk
Can owls and hawks crossbreed
There is no known instance of owls and hawk cross-breeding so it is safe to assume that they cannot crossbreed.
Even the hawk owl that looks like a hybrid of an owl and a hawk is not due to cross-breeding of hawk and owl.
Why are hawks afraid of owls?
Hawks are generally afraid of owls because owls grow bigger than Hawks and are usually stronger than Hawks.
Owls even hunt and kill hawks. Hawks generally stay away from owls.
Are owls and hawks related?
Though they are both Raptors they are not related. Owls and Hawks have similar characteristics but they are not related.
Do owls eat hawks
Owls eat Hawks, it is known that at night owls hunt Hawks while the Hawks are sleeping, kill the Hawks and consume them.
Conclusion
Owls and Hawks have similarities and differences but they are both magnificent birds, and we hope this article has been able to shed some light on their relationship with each other.