Do red-tailed hawks eat their food on the ground or in trees?
Most of the time a hawk will try to eat quickly. If it stays on the ground it is more vulnerable to attack. Hawks have the advantage of having a crop. The crop is a widening of the esophagus where the bird can hold food and take a little at a time to its stomach. That means the bird can quickly take in the food on the ground and then take time to sit in a tree and digest the food slowly. In the wild a red-tailed hawk may eat only every couple of days.
