Why Do Crows Chase Hawks?

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It’s no secret that backyard birders dislike finding hawks near their feeders. After all, it’s not like the hawks are there for the seed! Crows aren’t regularly winning backyard birder popularity contests either, but after reading this, some might want to re-think their stance on the all-black, highly intelligent birds. Our experts answered the question: Why do crows chase hawks, and is that behavior typical?

Learn all about crows—and more black birds.

Here’s Why Crows Chase Hawks

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Birds & Blooms reader Jan Haddrill asks, “Two crows chased a small red-shouldered hawk through my backyard. Is this common?”

Kenn and Kimberly Kaufman: We might expect hawks to be the kings of the air, but other birds regularly harass them. This behavior is called mobbing. Various birds often approach hawks or owls, making alarm calls and even daring to peck at them. No one has come up with a complete explanation for why they do this. It may serve to draw attention to these predators so they can’t take smaller birds by surprise. In the case of crows, which are intelligent and curious birds, it may be partly a tough-guy way of having fun!

It can be difficult to tell hawks apart, but these ID tips make it simple. It’s also tricky to identify crows vs ravens, but these key details ensure you’ll never get them mixed up again.

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During the breeding season, songbirds such as eastern kingbirds and red-winged blackbirds will flutter up to confront hawks that fly too close to their nests. The hawks mostly ignore the efforts of such small birds. Crows, on the other hand, are big enough that they can actually gang up on hawks and chase them away. (“Mobbing” behaviors might run in the brainy corvid family — Steller’s jays and blue jays do it, too.)

If you’ve started to change your mind about crows, check out these pictures that will make you appreciate black birds.