What Is a Baby Hawk Called?

Hawks, like many of the bigger birds eat meat (as opposed to fruits or a primarily vegetarian diet enjoyed by smaller species) and are known as birds of prey. Even baby hawks, therefore, are considered birds of prey and this is one name for them. Of course, there are also other names for baby hawks specific to their species.

Hawks, like most animal species, identify males, females, and even babies by giving them special and unique names. A group of hawks is called an aerie, a cast, or a kettle. A male hawk is called a tiercel. A female hawk is called a hen. The offspring of a male and female hawk - a baby hawk - is called an eyas.

Caring for Baby Hawks

There is also plenty more to know about the life of a baby hawk in addition to the fact that it is called an eyas. First, you should know what baby hawks eat. Milk and bread will not suffice for the ravenous appetite of a baby hawk. Like their parents, eyases like to eat meat.

Baby hawks, in fact, typically eat exactly the same thing as their parents. Like all predatory birds, they like to eat meat. Although adult hawks like to eat small mammals such as squirrels, mice, and shrews, eyas prefer a meal that is meat but a bit smaller. Baby hawks like to dine on the following:

• Lizards
• Crustaceans
• Insects
• Carp
• Catfish

Like their mature counterparts, baby hawks will eat their entire meal and then regurgitate whatever their bodies are unable to digest, such as fur, bones, and feathers of their prey.

If you are adopting or caring for a sick baby hawk, you will therefore have to provide this meat. In this situation, you should make sure to feed the eyas using a set of chopsticks to avoid getting bit by the bird while feeding.

Following each feeding, you should make sure to provide the baby hawk with water. This will need to be done using an eye dropper. Only give the baby a few drops at a time after each feeding. Also, be sure to never hold the baby hawk or flip it over onto its back during the feeding process. If holding the baby hawk is absolutely necessary, be sure to use a pair of thick gloves to avoid being injured by the eyas' talons.    

Growth Facts About Baby Hawks

A baby hawk will not remain a baby for a very long period of time.

Baby hawks grow at an extremely fast rate. A male and female hawk mate for life and reproduce one time a year. If a mate dies, the other will find a new partner extremely quickly and re-mate.

Smaller hawks lay approximately three to four eggs every year, while larger species of hawks lay only one to two. Smaller species of hawks take only one month to grow to full maturity and larger hawks take only eleven short weeks to be considered fully grown