{"id":57649,"date":"2019-05-06T05:10:27","date_gmt":"2019-05-06T11:10:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=57649"},"modified":"2026-01-21T15:53:27","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T21:53:27","slug":"red-tailed-hawk-behavior-when-a-northern-harrier-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2019\/05\/06\/red-tailed-hawk-behavior-when-a-northern-harrier-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"Red-tailed Hawk Behavior When A Northern Harrier Attacks"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed Hawk landing after a Northern Harrier attack – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light
\n<\/span><\/p>\n

Yesterday morning I was photographing this Red-tailed Hawk in northern Utah, I was adjusting my exposure compensation because a cloud had shown up behind the hawk and I wanted to get the exposure of the bird right.<\/p>\n

When I heard a call to my left I glanced in that direction and saw a female Northern Harrier flying towards the Red-tailed Hawk at break neck speed.<\/p>\n

I barely had time to lock focus on the Red-tail before the incoming harrier dove at the hawk. I wish I would have had my teleconverter off during the attack but I didn’t know it was coming until I heard the harrier’s agitated call.<\/p>\n

The Red-tailed Hawk jumped, turned its feet into the air in defense from the attack and when the harrier flew past the Red tail landed back on the rocks it had been perched on.<\/p>\n

I was close enough to the Red-tailed Hawk (in a mobile blind) that I didn’t get the harrier in any of my images plus the attack was so swift that the female harrier had moved out of the frame.<\/p>\n

You can tell in these images that the Red-tailed Hawk was agitated by looking at the feathers on its head, it almost looks like the hawk has a crest.<\/p>\n

You only need to search for images of these hawks on line while they are in hand for banding and see just how the crested look happens when they are agitated.<\/p>\n

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed Hawk in a defensive posture during a Northern Harrier attack – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The female harrier wasn’t done with the Red-tailed Hawk and she made another pass at it but the second time the larger hawk stood its ground and raised its wings in a defensive posture.<\/p>\n

By this time the white cloud behind the hawk filled the frame and my viewfinder so the rest of my images of the attack are rather high key.<\/p>\n

The Red-tailed Hawk was keeping an eye on the female harrier as it flew past close and fast.<\/p>\n

\"Red-tailedRed-tailed Hawk in a defensive pose – Nikon D500, f7.1, 1\/1000, ISO 640, +1.7 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

The female Northern Harrier moved on after the second attack and for a few seconds the Red-tailed Hawk stayed perched where it was before taking flight again but as it moved up the hill an American Kestrel dove-bombed it!<\/p>\n

The poor Red-tailed Hawk was just minding its own business and was attacked by two other raptors in a matter of minutes.<\/p>\n

I suspect that both the female harrier and the kestrel (which I didn’t see long enough to find out its gender) probably went into attack mode to protect their young who may have been nearby. I hope the Red-tailed Hawk<\/span><\/a> had a less stressful day after it flew away from the kestrel.<\/p>\n

There is never a dull moment in nature.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good. Birds make it interesting.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

P.S., I got torn up by both mosquitoes and biting gnats yesterday morning and one of them bit me in my left eyebrow, I just noticed that my left eyelid is puffy and swollen up. Oh, the joys of being a bird photographer. I feel like I pushed my head into the rear end of a porcupine because of all the bug bites.<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to view more of my Red-tailed Hawk photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When I heard a call to my left I glanced in that direction and saw a female Northern Harrier flying towards the Red-tailed at break neck speed.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":127108,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1148,449,26],"tags":[5028,4226,2663,4170,2497,7115,763,4169,2386,4006,153,7114,4209,6617],"class_list":["post-57649","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-box-elder-county-utah","category-red-tailed-hawks","category-utah","tag-attack","tag-behavior","tag-birds-of-prey","tag-buteo-jamaicensis","tag-buteos","tag-defensive-pose","tag-defensive-posture","tag-hawks","tag-hawks-of-utah","tag-northern-harrier","tag-raptors","tag-reaction","tag-red-tailed-hawk","tag-rufous"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/red-tailed-hawk-harrier-attack-mia-mcpherson-2223.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-eZP","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":108469,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/12\/04\/immature-red-tailed-hawk-in-a-safety-zone\/","url_meta":{"origin":57649,"position":0},"title":"Immature Red-tailed Hawk In A Safety Zone","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 4, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"About two years ago, I photographed this immature Red-tailed Hawk resting above a safety zone sign at Farmington Bay WMA on a cold morning.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Northern Harrier dive bombing an immature Red-tailed Hawk, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-safety-zone-mia-mcpherson-0191.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-safety-zone-mia-mcpherson-0191.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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"Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Red-tailed Hawk after a Northern Harrier flew over, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-marsh-mia-mcpherson-7624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-marsh-mia-mcpherson-7624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-marsh-mia-mcpherson-7624.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-marsh-mia-mcpherson-7624.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 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Background","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"My best bird photos from yesterday morning at Farmington Bay WMA were of an immature Red-tailed Hawk with the shadowed Wasatch Mountain slopes in the background.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Immature Red-tailed Hawk on a nest box in early morning light, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-0726.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/red-tailed-hawk-immature-nestbox-mia-mcpherson-0726.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":119320,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/12\/25\/christmas-day-young-northern-harrier-on-the-wing\/","url_meta":{"origin":57649,"position":5},"title":"Christmas Day Young Northern Harrier On The Wing","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 25, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"On this Christmas morning, I am sharing a photo of a young female Northern Harrier in flight that I took exactly three years ago at Farmington Bay WMA.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Christmas Day young Northern Harrier, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, 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