Experts: Mating season may explain red-tailed hawk’s dive-bomb attacks in Conn. town

Experts: Mating season may explain hawk attacks

STONINGTON, Conn. — Wildlife experts say love could be in the air for a red-tailed hawk with a penchant for dive-bombing people in a Connecticut town.

The belligerent bird is probably trying to impress potential mates and protect its nest as it enters its mating season, they say — and woe to unsuspecting pedestrians in Stonington, a shoreline town bordering Rhode Island.

The hawk has attacked at least five people recently, including a woman who was cut on the head this week. It has also has snatched a boy’s hat, snagged headphones from a man on a lawnmower and even attacked a car.

Stonington animal control officer Rae-Jean Davis and the director of a nearby nature center say there are no plans to kill the angry avian, but its nest may be moved to a less populated area.