What does it mean when you see a hawk?

The short answer

A hawk is most often read as a sign of clear vision, focus and protection: a reminder to look at the bigger picture, as a hawk does from above. Those meanings come from the bird itself. Raptors see far more sharply than we do, and a hawk circling high over a field is the image most people have in mind.

Hawks and falcons in ancient belief

The best known bird of prey in ancient religion is Horus, the Egyptian sky god shown with a falcon's head. His eye, the wedjat, was a protective symbol worn as an amulet. Strictly, Horus is a falcon rather than a hawk, but older English writers used "hawk" for both, and the two are often merged in modern symbolism.

Falconry, the training of hawks and falcons to hunt, was practiced in Asia and the Middle East for thousands of years and became a mark of rank in medieval Europe. The bird a person was allowed to fly depended on their status. That history is part of why hawks still stand for nobility and skill.

Which hawk are you seeing?

If you see a large hawk perched on a pole along a highway or circling over open country in the US, it is most likely a Red-tailed Hawk, the most widespread hawk in North America. Adults have a brick-red tail. New Hampshire named it its state raptor in 2019. Its harsh scream is the sound movies use whenever an eagle appears on screen, because a Bald Eagle's real call is a weak, high chatter.

A hawk at a backyard bird feeder is a different story. That is usually a Cooper's Hawk or a Sharp-shinned Hawk, both of which hunt small birds. It isn't a sign so much as a sign that your feeder is working: hawks go where the songbirds are.

Hawks in Native American tradition

Many Native American nations hold hawks and their feathers in high regard, and the meaning varies widely from one nation to another. Rather than generalise, it's worth knowing that specific feathers, songs and stories belong to specific peoples. Tribal members may use eagle and other raptor feathers for religious purposes under federal permits that are not open to the general public.

Can you keep a hawk feather?

No, not legally in the US without a permit. Native hawks, like almost all native birds, are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, and it is illegal to possess their feathers, nests or eggs, even ones you found on the ground. The law exists because feather trading once drove several species close to extinction. Take a photo and leave the feather where it is.

Seeing hawks often

People who see hawks repeatedly often take it as a personal message. There is usually also a practical reason: a hawk with a territory nearby, good hunting ground such as a field or highway verge, or a busy feeder. Red-tailed Hawks keep the same territory for years, so the hawk you see each morning on the same pole is likely the same bird.

Hawk, falcon, eagle or vulture?

Much of the symbolism lumps all birds of prey together, but they are easy to tell apart once you know what to look for. Hawks in the genus Buteo, like the Red-tailed Hawk, have broad wings and short, wide tails, and they soar in slow circles. Accipiters, like the Cooper's Hawk, have short rounded wings and long tails, and fly in a flap-flap-glide pattern low through trees.

Falcons, such as the American Kestrel and the Peregrine Falcon, have long, pointed wings and fast, direct flight. A Peregrine diving on prey is the fastest animal on earth. Eagles are much bigger than any hawk, with wings that look like flat planks. Turkey Vultures soar with their wings raised in a shallow V and rock from side to side, and their small red heads are bare. Most "hawks" seen circling over a highway in summer turn out to be one of the last two.