Expert: Roger Lederer - 6/28/2007

Question
QUESTION: I just saw the wildest thing - a big (hawk? Eagle?) attacked a "teenage" wild turkey in my back yard. The other turkeys ran to its aid - I ran out the front door to help the turkey as well!  The BIG BIRD let the turkey go because the TOM jumped on him - BIG BIRD FLEW up in the trees (I never got a good like at it) My husband said it was a big gray hawk - I'm not sure WHAT it was.  Do Hawks attack turkeys!!!!   I live in CT and we have lots of Turkeys but I've NEVER seen anything like this before.  Thanks so much,

ANSWER: I don't know of any big gray hawks that would be in your area. Maybe it was a hawk, though. It would be extremely unusual for a hawk to attack a turkey as the typical hawk weighs about 3 pounds and could not lift anything but the smallest turkey.

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QUESTION: Have a clue what type bird it might have been that would attack a turkey?

Thanks so much,  Melissa
ANSWER: Well, if was actually attacking the turkey, it almost cetainly would have been a hawk or eagle. But I don't know of any gray ones except maybe a Peregrine Falcon or Goshawk, both of which are fairly grayish, but pretty rare and are very unlikely to attack a turkey. I could speculate other reasons why the bird came into the turkey yard - maybe there was other food there and the "attacking" bird just happened to tangle with the intruder. I just don't know.

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QUESTION: Thank you so much for your kind replys - Is there a bird that is know to attack Turkeys?  Becasue I was sitting at me computer and watched this BIG BIRD dive-bomb the turkey. The turky was flapping its wings in defense of coarse and the two of them rollend uner a big holly tree - The other turkeys were in another place in the yard (our porperty backs up to open space so we have a lot of wild life.) By the time I got their the TOM was in the mix - I could not see what was going on under the Holly bush, a lot of comotion and fighting, then all of a sudden all the turkys ran into the woods - I did not see the BIG BIRD fly off but my husband said it had gone into the thick trees - so who knows - I have see an eagel here before. It was just all very exciting. I have watched these turkeys raise this family all spring and have grown attaced to them and just didnt want them to be hurt.  Thanks again for your time, Melissa in CT.

Answer
No, there is no bird known to attack turkeys. Turkeys are just too big. But an eagle could take a small turkey. However, eagles are rarely found to attack chicken coops or anything like that. I'm sure it happens, but it would be very unusual. Many people when they see a hawk up close are impressed by its size because they are used to seeing them at a distance. If it were an eagle that you saw close up you would be amazed - they are very large and unmistakeable. But eagles are not gray or even grayish.