Red-shouldered Hawk Attacks People in Keller Neighborhood – NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth

A red-shouldered hawk with newborns in the nest defends its territory and attacks neighbors.

High up in a tree in the Mt. Gilead community of Keller, a beautiful red-shouldered hawk family sits in a nest with three new babies.

But the sign on a tree under her house is a warning to passersby.

“They’re pretty aggressive hawks,” said homeowner Daniel Schuman.

Neighbors said the hawks have been attacking people outside in recent weeks. Schuman’s daughter has scars from the beating and she is not the only one.

Suddenly I was hit so hard from behind that I almost fell over,” said Susan Torgen, who was attacked. “Of course I grabbed my head, the falcon was long gone. He grabbed my head and I bled. He came down with such force that it was truly powerful. I felt like I had been hit by a baseball bat.”

Now neighbors are taking extra precautions when they have to go outside.

“We have the umbrellas, of course, and neighbors wear helmets when they mow their lawns, and no child is outside without a helmet,” said neighbor Alana Gray.

The Postal Service also confirmed that the Hawk prevented the safe delivery of packages during mail delivery to some residents, who must now pick them up at the Roanoke Post Office.

“It has gotten to the point where we can no longer function normally in the face of this threat in our neighborhood,” Gray said.

Because of this, Gray said she spent days reaching out to various agencies for help.

“We can’t touch it legally, so we have to get the right departments involved,” Gray said. “The right officials who will take care of it themselves.”

The neighborhood is now working with a USDA wildlife biologist. A plan to safely relocate the Hawks is currently being developed.

To learn more about USDA Wildlife Services, click here.