Actually, Red-tails & even Red-shouldereds seem to be getting better about hunting feeders, usually for squirrels. As for nocturnal feeder vandals, raccoons seem to be more of a problem than rats. I would wager that the former would chase off the latter on most occasions, and it would take a hefty & hungry GHO to take on a big raccoon. Rob Thorn > [Original Message] > From: <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Date: 12/1/2006 9:19:56 AM > Subject: [Ohio-birds] Hawks Controlling Rats at Feeders > > Gus Fargus just posted a question regarding whether or not kestrels or other > hawks would control rats that might frequent bird feeding stations. (I hope > this isn't a prohibited topic. If so, my apologies once again. But it is a > matter of understanding the ecological roles and capabilities of raptors.) > > After researching and flying over a dozen kestrels, I can affirm that these > little falcons will not and cannot take an adult rat. They can take a > newly-emerged rat pup, but these tend to stay safely in the rat dens and seldom > venture into the daylight. Kestrels, therefore, are not a rat control mechanism. > They are too small to kill an adult rat. > > Even a Cooper's Hawk, which is big enough to take a rat, will very seldom do > this, even if given the opportunity (which is rare, because rats are > primarily nocturnal). The Coop's will concentrate on the birds at the feeder. > > A perched Red-tailed Hawk would capture and savor a rat of any size that > ventured out into the daylight. But Red-tails don't spend much time perched near > feeders. If they do, it's merely incidental to their visual hunting out over > larger, open adjacent areas. Red-tails won't control feeder rats, either. > > Great-horned owls might take a few, but few feeding stations have a resident > GHO perched nearby. > > Those with more experience with artificial feeding stations will have to > comment on the potential rat problem (if, of course, that's not an off-topic > subject). As natural as they might be, neither diurnal or nocturnal avian > predators will be much of a solution. > > --John A. Blakeman > > ______________________________________________________________________ > > Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. > Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. > > You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: > http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS > Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask] ______________________________________________________________________ Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society. Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list. You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]