These birds live in Eastern U.S and extend through California and Florida. The hawk lives near water sources such as lakes, rivers, and coasts since it eats fish and other animals that live in water. This is a bird of prey found in North America, though it has also been introduced in South America. The red-tailed hawk is one of the hawk species that eat fish. There are specific species that are fonder of fish and other aquatic animals than the others as discussed in the next part. However, not all hawks have been observed eating fish. This puts them in the same category as a handful of other birds that feed on fish meat, including the Peregrine Falcon, white-tailed eagle, Indian spotted eagle, Steller’s sea eagle, gray-headed fish eagle, African fish eagle, bald eagle, snowy owl, and others. They will occasionally go hunting for fish and other birds if their food sources get scarce. But as we’ve just said above, they are opportunistic hunters. Hawks are carnivorous, and their common prey is small mammals such as rabbits, rodents, squirrels, hares, etc. You’ll discover more about the species of hawks that eat fish, how the birds hunt for fish, and bonus tips on protecting your fish pond from these predators.

We’ve researched more details about hawks eating fish and compiled the in-depth guide below. These birds are opportunistic hunters and won’t hesitate to hunt for alternative foods when their primary food sources get scarce. Most hawk species occasionally hunt and feed on the fish, including the red-shouldered hawk, red-tailed hawk, Cooper’s hawk, etc. But when these foods are scarce, the predators won’t shy from hunting for other food types.Īnd this brings us to our main question: Do hawks eat fish? Yes, hawks feed on fish. Their diet mostly consists of small mammals such as moles, rats, mice, squirrels, and more. Hawks are one of the well-known birds of prey they’re carnivorous and depend on the meat of other animals for survival.

Red tailed hawk decoy