Watch This Cheeky Squirrel Taunt a Huge Red-Tailed Hawk

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A recent viral video shows an adorable squirrel taunting a large red-tailed hawk in a tree. The squirrel continues walking back and forth on the branch parallel to/above it. It shakes its tail and legs in front of the hawk. The hawk seemingly watches the squirrel do its thing, turning its head to watch. (Red-tailed hawks cannot move their eyes, so they must turn their heads to see from side to side.)

Do Red-Tailed Hawks Eat Squirrels?

Yes, red-tailed hawks do eat tree squirrels and ground squirrels. In fact, squirrels, along with mice, moles, and rabbits, are some of their favorite foods. Additionally, this hawk will also commonly consume voles, snakes, frogs, birds, crustaceans, fish, bats, carrion, and even small raccoons. 

That being said, the cheeky squirrel in the video had enough nerve to taunt the hawk despite easily becoming its dinner. However, the red-tailed hawk did not end up hunting or killing the squirrel (at least not in the video!) This is common behavior for squirrels, as they have a playful nature and tend to entertain themselves. 

Do Squirrels Commonly Taunt Predators?

Yes, squirrels are known to taunt predators for a variety of reasons, from alleviating their boredom to protecting their space. Squirrels are especially playful creatures. This is why you might notice them taunting a dog in its backyard or hawks in a tree. They often do this by chattering their teeth and chirping (which can actually be signs of aggression rather than playfulness). They might even get a predator to chase them, only to escape at the very last minute. Think: a squirrel taunting a dog and then slipping under a fence as the dog barrels into it.

Some of a squirrel’s common predators include red foxes, domestic cats, wild cats, dogs, badgers, polecats, weasels, and large carnivorous birds like eagles and red-tailed hawks. As you can see in the video above, squirrels often get a kick out of taunting their predators. This is common even when they could very well be in danger. Lucky for the squirrel in the video, he did not become the red-tailed hawk’s prey.