If you’ve ever seen a baby hawk and wondered what they are called, you’re not alone. Hawks go through several naming stages throughout their early development, which can cause confusion.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer: Baby hawks are called eyases. Specifically, they are referred to as nestlings or fledglings depending on their age and development stage.
In this detailed guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about what baby hawks are called during each phase of growth after hatching, from helpless nestlings to fully-feathered fledglings ready to fly from the nest.
Newly Hatched Baby Hawks Are Called ‘Eyases’
When baby hawks first emerge from their eggs, they have a special name – eyases. This term refers specifically to nestling hawks that have recently hatched and are still covered in downy feathers. At this stage, eyases are completely dependent on their parents for food, protection, and care.
For the first couple of weeks, eyases do little more than eat, sleep, and grow. Their eyes are closed at hatching but open within a few days. Their bodies are quite undeveloped, with oversized heads, feet, and beaks.
They have minimal control over their movements and need help from their parents just to eat and stay warm.
During this initial period, the adult hawks work tirelessly to feed their demanding brood. The female typically does most of the hunting while the male guards the nest. Prey items are torn into small pieces to make swallowing easier for the eyases.
While waiting to be fed, the eyases clamber and clamor for the best position to receive the incoming morsels.
Within a couple of weeks, the eyases’ juvenile feathers start to emerge through their down. By 3-6 weeks old, their bodies and wings have developed enough that they can start trying out flapping and moving around the nest.
Once they fledge and make their first flight at 4-10 weeks, they graduate from the name eyases.
However, the young hawks will still rely heavily on their parents for an additional few weeks as they learn to hunt effectively and navigate the wider world. From dependent balls of fluff to magnificent raptors, the transformation of newly hatched eyases into juvenile hawks is a remarkable process.
Nestling Phase (0-4 Weeks): Flightless Baby Hawks
The nestling phase is a critical time in a baby hawk’s life. During this stage, hawk chicks are completely dependent on their parents for food, warmth, and protection. Here’s an overview of what to expect during the first 4 weeks of a hawk chick’s life:
Newly hatched hawk chicks are covered in white down feathers and their eyes are closed. They are essentially helpless at this point, relying entirely on their parents to keep them warm and safe in the nest. Within a few days, their eyes will open, revealing dark gray or brown irises.
Their bodies are disproportionately large compared to their heads and wings.
For the first two weeks, nestling hawks do little more than eat and sleep as they grow rapidly. The parents work diligently to find enough prey to satisfy the hungry chicks’ appetites. Common foods include mice, voles, snakes, lizards, frogs, and large insects.
The chicks’ wing feathers start to emerge around 2 weeks of age.
By 3 weeks old, nestling hawks are covered in juvenile plumage. Their feet and beaks will also be close to full adult size. Though still unable to fly, the chicks will flap their wings and hop around the nest. They may even stretch their wings and attempt to walk along branches by this point.
In the 4th and final week of the nestling phase, flight feathers finish growing in. The parents will encourage the chicks to flap their wings to build up flight muscles. By the end of week 4, the juvenile hawks are ready to take their first flight from the nest, marking the transition to the fledgling phase.
Brancher Phase (4-8 Weeks): Baby Hawks Venturing Out
The brancher phase is an exciting time for baby hawks as they start to explore the world outside their nest. At 4-8 weeks old, hawk chicks are covered in downy feathers and are strong enough to start climbing on branches near the nest. Here’s an overview of what to expect during this phase:
Fledging the Nest
Around 5-6 weeks old, hawk chicks will fledge, meaning they take their first flights out of the nest. At first, these will be clumsy flights from branch to branch as the chicks build up flight muscles and coordination. Parents will demonstrate flying and encourage the chicks.
Fledging is a vulnerable time as chicks are still developing flying skills and judgement.
Venturing Further
Over the next few weeks, chicks will start venturing further from the nest on branching jumping flights. They are still dependent on parents for food but will follow them and beg loudly! Chicks flap wings frequently to build strength. Their flight skills and confidence improve daily.
Developing Adult Plumage
The chick’s fluffy down starts being replaced by contour feathers with an adult-like pattern. The chick’s plumage transitions to a more mature form during this phase. However, their tail and wing feathers may still be growing in.
Honing Hunting Skills
Chicks watch parents closely to learn hunting techniques. Parents may offer chicks morsels of food but decrease feeding to encourage independence. Chicks start trying out their hunting skills, pouncing on insects and other small prey near the nest.
Returning to the Nest
While venturing further away during the day, chicks still return to the nest each night for safety as their flight skills are still developing. Parents may still assist with food but start encouraging independence.
Chicks remain near the nest for up to 10 weeks as they transition to becoming independent juvenile hawks.
The brancher phase marks a major milestone as chicks take their first flights and start on the path to maturity. With their downy feathers and clumsy flight attempts, hawk chicks in the brancher phase are adorable to observe.
This important period prepares them for surviving on their own as formidable raptors.
Fledgling Phase (8+ Weeks): Flying Juvenile Hawks
By 8 weeks old, baby hawks have grown most of their flight feathers and are ready to take their first flights out of the nest, marking the beginning of the fledgling phase. Though a bit clumsy and awkward at first, fledgling hawks quickly gain strength, coordination, and flying skill through extensive practice flap-hopping on branches and making short flights between trees.
First Flights and Gaining Skill
A hawk fledgling’s first flights are usually clumsy, consisting of awkward flap-hopping between branches just out of the nest. However, within days, the awkward flap-hopping and clumsy landings give way to graceful gliding and skillful maneuvering through trees and brush.
Within two weeks, fledglings are flying nearly as strong and skillfully as adult hawks on powerful wing strokes.
Gaining Independence
As fledgling hawks become more competent fliers, they start wandering further away from the nest, following their parents, and learning to find food on their own. Though still fed by parents periodically for the first few weeks, hawk fledglings quickly gain independence and start capturing their own prey within a month after fledging.
This independence comes just in time, as parent hawks typically stop providing any food for fledglings after 6-8 weeks. Forced to fully fend for themselves, juvenile hawks have no choice but to quickly hone their flying and hunting skills or face starvation.
Juvenile Plumage and Identification
In addition to gaining independence, hawk fledglings also start growing their juvenile plumage, making identification easier. While originally covered in fluffy white down, juvenile hawks grow darker flight feathers and start showing some adult coloration patterns after fledging.
For example, juvenile red-tailed hawks exhibit darker brown backs and lighter underbellies than adults but have clear reddish-brown tail feathers. Juvenile Cooper’s hawks also display the namesake cap and crossbar breast plumage pattern of adults but lack the striking reddish barring on their underparts.
Migrating South
As fall approaches, juvenile hawks that hatched in northern parts of North America have one last big challenge – migrating to warmer southern regions. Guided by internal instincts and parental hawks (if they haven’t already left), fledglings fly incredible distances, sometimes thousands of miles, over land and sea to reach wintering grounds.
Research shows[1] that juvenile hawks migrate at the same rates but take more frequent stopovers than adult hawks. Additionally, juveniles have lower survival rates, likely due to their inexperience and lack of quality wintering territories.
However, juvenile hawks that survive the fall migration flourish on wintering grounds, honing their skills further before making the long journey back north in spring to breeding territories of their own.
Conclusion
We’ve covered the different names and stages as baby hawks grow from helpless hatchlings to fully feathered fledglings taking their first flights. Whether you call them eyases, nestlings, branchers or fledglings depends on their exact age and ability to get around the nest.
Understanding the terminology for juvenile hawks helps bird enthusiasts identify them correctly and appreciate their rapid development. Next time you see baby hawks, you’ll know exactly what growing stage they’re in!
