When it comes to protecting your smaller backyard birds from hawks and other predators, knowing which birds can help keep hawks away is key. Many bird species are natural hawk deterrents, scaring away hawks and falcons with their behaviors and warning calls. Installing hawk deterrents like decoys, spikes, and netting can also help make your yard less appealing to hawks. But encouraging certain protective birds to visit your yard is one of the most effective natural ways to keep hawks at bay. Read on to learn more about which birds help fend off hawks and how to attract them to your backyard.
Birds That Keep Hawks Away
Here are some of the best birds to have around if you want to deter hawks from hunting in your yard:
Crows
Crows are extremely intelligent birds that serve as lookouts in mixed flocks of backyard birds. They keep an eye out for hawks and other predators, sounding loud alarm calls when one is spotted. This signals to other birds to seek cover. Crows may also mob hawks, gathering together to dive bomb and chase the predators away. Leaving peanuts, sunflower seeds, cracked corn, and other treats out can help entice American crows to frequent your yard more often.
Blue Jays
Like crows, blue jays are vigilant watchers that screech warnings when hawks are around. They may also approach hawks themselves and harass them until they leave the area. Offer sunflower seeds, peanuts, suet, berries, and nesting materials to attract beautiful blue jays to your yard.
Mockingbirds
Known for their loud territorial defense, mockingbirds aggressively chase after any birds of prey that enter areas they’ve claimed as their own. They’ll dive bomb and peck at hawks and won’t give up easily. To encourage mockingbirds to nest on or near your property, make sure there are thick bushes, trees, and shrubs available for shelter.
Jays
There are several species of jay that can help guard against hawks, beyond just the blue jay. Steller’s jays, gray jays, green jays, and scrub jays all vocally scold hawks and may also mob them. Planting oak trees and native fruiting shrubs that jays rely on can help provide habitat for these protective birds.
Warblers
While small, warblers and other songbirds issue alarm calls that warn each other when hawks are near. Species like yellow warblers, palm warblers, prairie warblers, and common yellowthroats all participate in mobbing hawks to try driving them away. Having a diverse habitat with lots of shrubs and trees helps attract a wide range of warblers.
Chickadees
From black-capped to Carolina to plain old chickadees, having these tiny acrobatic birds around can scare off hawks. Chickadees have complex alarm calls that alert each other to different sized predators. They may also harass hawks directly. Offering chickadees black oil sunflower seeds in feeders with small perches can help bring them into your space.
Larger Birds
Bigger birds like turkeys, geese, roadrunners, and peacocks can also fend off hawks with their size. These larger species won’t be intimidated by hawks and will chase them away. Provide plenty of ground cover and roosting spots to encourage them to visit your yard.
Other Hawk Deterrents
In addition to inviting protective birds into your yard, there are some other strategies you can use to deter hawks:
Scare Devices
Motion-activated sprinklers, predator decoys like plastic owls, and hanging shiny discs can help scare hawks away by startling them or making an area seem unsafe. Relocating and varying these deterrents keeps them effective.
Netting
Installing netting over chicken coops, aviaries, and even vegetation and garden areas prevents hawks from swooping in from above. Make sure netting has small holes so hawks can’t get their talons caught in it.
Thorny Plants
Hawks dislike navigating through thorny hedges and shrubs like blackberry, pyracantha, and hawthorn. Plant these around areas vulnerable to hawks to discourage them from entering.
Remove Lures
Eliminating outdoor feeders and birdbaths during peak hawk seasons removes attractions that could bring in hawks looking for prey. Clean up fallen fruit and seed debris that could attract rodents, another hawk food source.
Offer Shelter
Giving smaller birds places to hide when hawks are around makes them less vulnerable to attack. Dense shrubs, brush piles, birdhouses, and nesting boxes provide protective cover.
Attracting Hawk-Repelling Birds
Here are some tips to help convince hawk-wary birds to visit and potentially nest on your property:
Provide Food & Water
Offer seeds, nuts, suet, nectar, corn, and fruit appealing to the birds you want to attract. Having year-round feeders and fresh water provides for their basic needs.
Offer Shelter
Thick shrubs and trees, bramble patches, brush piles, and nesting boxes provide protection from predators and shelter from the elements.
Avoid Pesticides
Chemical insecticides reduce food sources like caterpillars that many backyard birds rely on. Avoid pesticides whenever possible.
Include Native Plants
Landscape your yard with berry bushes, fruit trees, and flowering plants native to your region to provide food and nesting habitat.
Limit Noise
Excessive yard equipment noise, vehicles, dogs, and human activity can scare away more sensitive bird species. Try to keep things quiet.
Include Varied Habitats
Provide a mix of habitats like meadows, woods, thickets, and brush to meet the needs of diverse hawk-deterring birds.
Put Up Nest Boxes
Specially sized nesting boxes offer additional breeding sites to attract birds and encourage them to settle in your yard.
Add a Water Feature
Birdbaths, fountains, or garden ponds give birds a place to drink, bathe, and gather. Moving water deters mosquitoes.
Reduce Reflections
Hang bamboo shades or apply decals to reduce reflections in windows that birds can fly into. Break up reflections to keep birds safe.
Which Birds Should You Avoid Attracting?
While most birds can provide some benefit in deterring hawks, there are a few species you may want to discourage from your yard:
Pigeons
Though they may harass hawks, large flocks of pigeons can cause issues with noise, droppings, and spreading disease. Avoid feeding them.
European Starlings
An invasive pest species, European starlings compete with native cavity nesters. Don’t put up starling-sized nest boxes.
House Sparrows
Another invasive species, house sparrows can take over feeders and force out native birds. Use selective feeders.
Cuckoos
Cuckoos push other birds’ eggs and young out of nests. While they mob hawks, they parasitize other species.
Cowbirds
Like cuckoos, cowbirds lay eggs in other birds’ nests, reducing the success of native species. Don’t encourage them.
Cats
While they may scare away hawks, outdoor cats devastate wild bird populations. Keep cats indoors.
Conclusion
Encouraging certain hawk-wary bird species to visit your yard through habitat adjustments and providing food, water, and shelter is an extremely effective way to deter hawks naturally. Crows, jays, chickadees, mockingbirds, and other protective birds will chase away hawks and warn vulnerable species of danger through alarm calls. Avoid attracting problematic birds, while making your space accommodating for beneficial, hawk-repelling species. A diverse habitat filled with native plants, feeders, nest sites, and water will turn your yard into a safe haven for small birds at risk from hawk predation. With a carefully crafted backyard, you can strike the right balance to appreciate hawks from a distance while safeguarding other birds.