Short Haiku Bird Poem about Red Tailed Hawks 5 7 5

I took my youngest two kids for a hike at the park yesterday–one in a carrier, the other running around wildly. I’m always wanting to bring their attention to any birds or other animals we see on our walks. Very few when you’re walking with loud toddlers! Even though we rarely come across anything other than squirrels and very common birds, I think it’s important for kids to learn to be mindful of the world around them.

I’ve gotten so much from nature, but it’s only because I learned to always keep my eyes open to the world around me–to turn my thoughts away from myself. So much is happening but so much is missed! And those fine details, like the way squirrels work nuts in their little human-esque hands, are where we learn not only about nature but about ourselves.

But we were fortunate enough to see a red-tailed hawk land on an outstretched limb yesterday–at least I saw him; I had to point him out to my son. It took awhile for him to locate the large bird, but he was excited when he did. I tried drawing his attention to how big his “claws” were. “Oh, yeah. Those for digging up worms.”

“No, buddy. That’s a red-tailed hawk. He eats things like squirrels and rabbits. He wouldn’t be able to survive just eating little worms.”

“Dad, no. Birds eat worms not animals.”

I had to explain a little more about the hawk, but once he flew away, his size became even more apparent, and I think it made more sense to him. I took a picture in my mind of that moment, and it inspired this little haiku about the bird known as the red-tailed hawk because of the red hue of their tail feathers.

A Bird Haiku Poem About the Red-Tailed Hawk

Talons grip tree limbs--
sickles to slice through furred-skin.
Tails of flame take flight.

Justin Farley

Click Here For My Collection Of Nature Poems!

Some Interesting Facts About The Red-Tailed Hawk

• Red-Tailed Hawks have a famous call that sounds much like a hoarse scream–the exact cry you’ve probably heard in movies or tv shows coming from a bird of prey.
• Great Eyesight – Vision is about 8x better than humans.
• Holds A Special Place In Native American Cultures- their feathers are often used in ceremony. They represent strength and as a protector.
• Live A Long Time – These birds can live past 25 years old!
• Very Distinct Feathers- The red hue of their back wings, mixed with the brown of their wings and the speckles on their bellies creates a pattern easy to identify.
• Falconry – Red-tailed hawks were often used in the sport of falconry.
• Kiting- They are one of few species that are able to “kite”, which refers to holding their position in the middle of the air-almost like floating. They use this technique to look for prey.
• Diet – Their diet consists mostly of small to medium sized mammals such as rodents (voles, rats, mice, and squirrels), rabbits and hares, snakes and lizards, other birds, and occasionally eat fish, amphibians, and bugs.

Click Here For My Bird Haiku Collection Page

Enjoyed this modern bird haiku about hawks? Here are a few other poems about birds as well as all my online nature poetry.

You can find the rest of my poems about nature that I’ve posted online HERE