Predatory birds that arenât hawks
Something Iâve noticed during my time in the aviankind community is an overabundance of hawk and eagle therians, mostly red-tailed hawks, which I think is directly tied to the tendency for people to 1. confirm an avian theriotype and 2. feel a prey drive so they 3. immediately say theyâre a hawk or eagle as if hawks and eagles are the only birds who hunt.
So, for any bird therians who are questioning and feel as though theyâre a predator, hereâs a few other birds to at least cross off the list before you land on red-tailed hawk:
Every other kind of hawk. Guys, there are over 200 species of hawk. Many are extremely similar to red-tails in terms of behavior and morphology, but have key differences that you might disregard if youâve already decided you must be a red-tail because those are the ones you know about.
Owls. If you think you may be a nocturnal animal, you might want to look into owls before hawks. Hawks are strictly diurnal (active during the day). Thereâs also a few physical differences; smaller beaks, usually shorter tails, different-shaped wings and very different talons being a few.
Falcons. Falcons are actually unrelated to hawks and eagles. Theyâre more closely related to parrots and passerines like songbirds. Hunting methods often differ; many species of falcons hunt by attacking other birds mid-air. Many other falcons, though, have very similar behavior to hawks. So be thorough.
Fish-catching birds: kingfishers, herons, egrets, ospreys, cormorants, loons, albatrosses, some ducks, pelicans (no I am not kidding). Consider what kinds of prey your hunting urges are directed toward. Take notes on your shifts, especially beak shifts if you have them. Many of these birds have very different beaks than the hooked bill of a hawk. And if you feel a prey drive towards fish, you might want to look into one of these birds.
Insect-catching birds: rollers, swallows, flycatchers, potoos, bluebirds, warblers, wrens, swifts, waxwings. Again, think about what kinds of animals you feel urged to hunt, and the way you want to hunt them. Most of these birds fly after insects in the air and catch them mid-air. A lot of these birds are smaller, too, so thatâs something to pay attention to shifts for. Donât disregard these birds just because they arenât as cool or bugs are icky.
Skuas. Iâd put them in the fish-catching category but they also prey on terrestrial animals, steal eggs, and scavenge. Theyâre carnivores but will take any meat they can get.
Shrikes. Also a smaller bird, but I personally think these guys are pretty cool. If âimpales smaller animals on thorns to save them for laterâ strikes a chord with you, maybe look into shrikes. Brutal, isnât it?
This post is mainly for questioning bird therians who feel a prey drive, but if youâre questioning hawk just on the basis that you know youâre a carnivore, consider: vultures. I know, I know, ugly creepy birds who eat dead things. Well, I might be biased, but imo vultures are some seriously cool animals. I get the aversion though; I have a theriotype I didnât consider at first because I had no beforehand opinion on it. Just because something isnât your most favorite animal since childhood doesnât mean you shouldnât consider it if it matches your shifts.
Now, I am not trying to convince you youâre definitely not a hawk. You very well might be. I just see a lot of bird therians not put a lot of time into questioning and just go with the easiest answer. And I know this happens from personal experience, as someone who used to think he was a red-tail himself (because it was the easiest answer).
As a bird and an ornithology nerd, Iâd love to see more care taken with the questioning process - self-analysis canât hurt, and youâll definitely learn some cool stuff along the way even if you do confirm youâre a hawk! Remember, the three most important things in questioning: research, introspection, and take your time!
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