Can You Own A Hawk?

For centuries, humans have been fascinated by birds of prey like hawks and falcons. Their speed, power and deadly hunting abilities capture our imagination. So it’s only natural that some people dream of having a hawk as a pet.

If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: In most places, yes you can own a pet hawk if you obtain the proper permits and build an outdoor enclosure (called a mews) to house it.

This article will provide a comprehensive guide on hawk ownership – from legal requirements and costs, to taking care of a hawk’s daily needs and housing.

Laws and Regulations on Hawk Ownership

Federal Laws

At the federal level, owning hawks and other raptors is regulated by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. This law makes it illegal to possess any migratory bird, including hawks, falcons, eagles, owls, and vultures, without proper permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

To legally own a hawk, you must obtain a falconry permit from your state’s wildlife agency. This involves passing a written test on raptor biology, care, and handling. You must also build proper housing for the bird called a mews.

If approved, you will receive an Apprentice Falconer permit allowing you to possess one raptor. After 2 years of experience, you can upgrade to a General Falconer permit to own up to 3 raptors.

The goal of these strict regulations is to protect raptor populations and ensure humane treatment. Fines for violating the MBTA can be up to $15,000 and 6 months imprisonment per offense.

State Laws and Permits

In addition to federal laws, individual states have their own regulations on falconry and hawk ownership. These may include:

• Mandatory licensing exams and facility inspections
• Limits on the number/types of raptors you can possess
• Hunting regulations and seasons for falconry
• Minimum ages for obtaining a falconry license
• Required care standards, equipment, and facilities
• Inspections of raptor housing and care

It’s crucial to check your state’s wildlife agency for specifics on legal hawk ownership and falconry permitting. For example, some states allow non-residents to bring a legally owned raptor for hunting.

Others may have additional restrictions like prohibiting ownership of eagles and endangered species.

Owning a hawk can be an extremely rewarding experience but also a major commitment. Following federal and state laws ensures raptors receive proper housing, enrichment, veterinary care, and protects populations.

With the right permits and preparation, you can legally enjoy falconry while supporting conservation efforts.

Costs of Keeping Hawks

Owning a hawk can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it also comes with considerable costs. Here is an overview of some of the main expenses involved in keeping hawks as pets:

Purchase Price

Acquiring a hawk legally can be quite expensive. While prices vary depending on the species, age, and training, expect to pay at minimum $1,000-$2,000 for a young, untrained hawk. Older, trained birds can cost $5,000 or more.

Some popular species like Harris’s hawks tend to be on the lower end of the price scale, while rarer raptors like gyrfalcons can sell for tens of thousands of dollars.

Housing

Hawks need specialized housing called mews. These enclosures provide ample space for flying and perching while keeping the birds protected. For most species, the minimum recommended dimensions are 8 feet high, 8 feet wide, and 16 feet long.

High quality prefabricated mews from hawk equipment retailers generally cost $2,000-$5,000. Alternatively, you can construct a custom mew, which requires carpentry skills and high-grade materials. Either way, proper hawk housing is a significant upfront investment.

Equipment

Owning a hawk necessitates specialized equipment for handling, training, and enrichment. At minimum, you’ll need thick falconry gloves ($100+), jesses and leashes ($50+), a swivel block perch ($100+), bath pans ($50+), and weigh scales ($200+).

Other common gear includes outdoor perches, lures, telemetry equipment, giant hoods, travel boxes, and more. Expect to spend $500 or more upfront outfitting your hawk’s mew.

Food

Feeding raptors can get very expensive very quickly. Hawks eat whole prey animals like rats, chickens, and quail. On average, most medium-sized hawks may eat 1-2 pounds daily. At $6-10 per pound of prey, daily feeding costs easily exceed $100 for a single bird.

Over a year, food costs generally range from $2,000-$5,000 depending on the hawk’s size and metabolism.

Vet Bills

Avian veterinarians with raptor expertise charge premium rates – office visits often cost $100-200 before any procedures or medications. Hawks also require annual checkups and bloodwork. Emergency vet visits for injuries or illnesses can rapidly cost thousands of dollars.

Having pet insurance and establishing a relationship with a qualified vet is essential.

Licenses & Permits

In the United States, owning a hawk for falconry requires obtaining state and federal falconry licenses, which often have fees involved. Licensed falconers must also follow regulations regarding taking raptors from the wild and housing conditions.

Permits or certificates may be required for transporting or importing birds across state lines or internationally.

Training & Enrichment

Keeping a hawk engaged and well-behaved requires daily interaction, training, and enrichment. Hawks need ample opportunity to fly and hunt. Providing proper exercise via lures or live prey is time-intensive and may require club memberships to access fields or falconry meets.

Ongoing training is also important to maintain the bird’s sociability and skills. This requires investing considerable time and effort.

In total, expect to invest $10,000 or more in the first year owning a hawk. Significant yearly costs persist for housing, food, and healthcare. While rewarding, raising hawks is an expensive endeavor requiring extensive research and preparation.

Housing Requirements for Pet Hawks

Outdoor Mews

Hawks require spacious outdoor enclosures called mews to thrive in captivity. An ideal mew for a pet hawk should be at least 8 feet high, 8 feet long, and 6 feet wide to allow enough room for flying and exercising.

The enclosure should have a concrete floor covered with sand or gravel substrate for easy cleaning. The walls and ceiling can be constructed with sturdy wire mesh for ample airflow and sunlight. Natural wood perches should be provided at different heights for roosting and surveying the surroundings.

The mew entrance should have a weatherproof doghouse-style shelter large enough for the hawk to fully spread its wings.

Outdoor mews allow pet hawks to engage in natural perching, sunning, and bathing behaviors important for their health and wellbeing. However, the mews must be partially enclosed to protect the birds from harsh weather elements, dangerous predators, and flying away.

Hawk owners should enrich the enclosure with toys, branches, water features, and opportunities for flight to prevent boredom and frustration.

Furnishings and Perches

An enriched indoor housing area connected to the outdoor mew is essential for a pet hawk. The indoor space should contain a variety of natural wood perches of different shapes and sizes placed at varying heights for exercising feet and talons.

The perches can be free-standing or wall-mounted, but must be stable enough to support the hawk’s weight to prevent injury. Concrete perches are not recommended as they can cause foot sores. Flat platform perches allow the bird to fully spread its wings or lay down for comfort.

The indoor area should also contain furnishings for mental stimulation and behavioral health. These include puzzle feeders, shreddable toys, suspended pieces of meat, and branching. Furnishings should be changed periodically to prevent habituation.

All interior surfaces must be easy to disinfect for maintaining sanitary conditions. Proper lighting, ventilation, temperature control, and humidity levels are vital for an indoor hawk housing area.

Daily Care and Feeding

Owning a hawk comes with a lot of responsibility when it comes to their daily care and feeding. Here are some key things to consider:

Proper Diet

Hawks are carnivores and need a diet high in animal-based proteins. Many hawk owners feed their birds a combination of mice, chicks, rats, quail, rabbits and other small animals. It’s important to have a reliable source for purchasing these feeder animals.

Most owners recommend feeding pre-killed prey to reduce the risk of injury to the hawk while hunting live prey. Hawks typically eat 5-10% of their body weight per day. For example, a Red-tailed Hawk that weighs about 2.5 lbs would eat 3-5 oz of food daily.

Housing

Hawks cannot be housed in cages and require an outdoor mews or weathering area. This is an enclosed structure that protects them from predators and inclement weather while giving them enough room to fly and exercise their wings. The mews should have perches at various heights for the hawk to rest on.

It also needs direct access to an outdoor space so the bird can bask in natural sunlight. Proper housing is essential for maintaining a hawk’s health and preventing injury.

Bathing and Hygiene

Like other birds, hawks take dust baths to clean their feathers and maintain healthy skin and feathers. Their housing area should be equipped with a pan of sand, dirt or grass clippings for bathing. Hawks also need access to a bird bath or misting system for drinking and bathing.

Their feet should be inspected daily for any signs of injury or clogged talons. Keeping the mews clean and pest-free is also critical.

Exercise and Training

In addition to having enough indoor flight space, a hawk needs daily outdoor exercise to keep its muscles and flying skills honed. This means working with the hawk for at least an hour per day in a safe, enclosed area. Training a hawk takes patience and repetition.

Most owners use a lure and food rewards to train their birds. It’s important not to rush the training process or push the hawk too far as this can cause injury or stress.

Enrichment

Since hawks are intelligent and active predators, they require mental stimulation in addition to physical exercise. Providing a variety of perches, swings, toys and objects in their housing enclosure can prevent boredom and frustration.

Rotating different enrichment items helps keep them engaged and entertained.

Veterinary Care

It’s critical to establish a relationship with an avian vet who has experience treating hawks and other birds of prey before deciding to own one. Annual checkups, bloodwork, and beak/talon trimming should be performed to maintain their health.

Immediate vet care is essential if a hawk becomes sick or injured to give it the best chance of recovery.

Owning a hawk is a major commitment of time, energy and resources. But for the right person with proper training, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience!

Potential Health and Behavior Issues

Owning a hawk can come with some potential health and behavior issues that need to be considered. Hawks are wild animals with strong natural instincts that can make them challenging pets. Being prepared and educated on these issues is important for providing proper care.

Disease Risks

Like any wild animal, hawks can carry diseases that could potentially spread to humans or other pets. Some diseases to be aware of include:

• Avian influenza – Though rare, some hawks can contract forms of bird flu viruses. This can spread between birds and, in rare cases, jump to humans.
• Salmonellosis – Hawks can carry Salmonella bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness.
• Avian malaria – Hawks can suffer from certain types of parasitic blood infections that could theoretically spread via mosquitoes.

To mitigate disease risks, proper handling techniques, hygiene, quarantining new birds, and testing can help reduce risks of transmission.

Aggressive Behavior

A hawk’s powerful hunting instincts can lead them to exhibit aggression towards humans, especially around food. Their sharp talons and beaks can cause injuries. Warning signs include:

• Lunging at or chasing after caretakers
• Biting or slashing with talons during handling
• Making loud shrieking sounds and flapping wings aggressively

This behavior may be manageable through proper training techniques, but often gets worse during breeding season when hormones fluctuate. An aggressive hawk is a serious risk for caretakers and households.

Self-Harm Behaviors

Hawks with inadequate living conditions or training can harm themselves by:

• Excessively picking and damaging feathers
• Gnawing limbs due to boredom or stress
• Crash landing into enclosure walls or windows

Providing proper outdoor housing, enrichment activities, careful handling to avoid injury, and working patiently with the bird’s natural behaviors can often prevent these issues.

While owning a hawk has risks, proper facilities, husbandry, training, and veterinary care can mitigate many issues and lead to safe, rewarding bonds between birds and handlers.

Conclusion

Owning a hawk can be an incredibly rewarding experience for the right owner. But these wild birds require specialized care, housing, permits and expenses. Make sure to thoroughly research regulations in your area and prepare proper enclosures before taking on the responsibility of a pet hawk.