 The black @-@ tailed jackrabbit is an important prey species for many raptors and carnivorous mammals . The black @-@ tailed jackrabbit and Townsend 's ground squirrel ( Spermophilus townsendii ) are the two most important prey species on the Snake River Birds of Prey Study Area . Hawks preying on black @-@ tailed jackrabbits include the ferruginous hawk ( Buteo regalis ) , white @-@ tailed hawk ( Buteo albicaudatus ) , Swainson 's hawk ( B. swainsoni ) , and red @-@ tailed hawk ( B. jamaicensis ) . The black @-@ tailed jackrabbit is the primary prey of Swainson 's , red @-@ tailed , and ferruginous hawks on Idaho and Utah sites . Other raptors consuming black @-@ tailed jackrabbits include the great horned owl ( Bubo virginianus ) , burrowing owl ( Athene cunicularia ) , golden eagle ( Aquila chrysaetos ) , and bald eagle ( Haliaeetus leucocephalus ) . A significant correlation exists between golden eagle and black @-@ tailed jackrabbit reproduction patterns . In Colorado and southeastern Wyoming , black @-@ tailed jackrabbits constitute 9 % of nesting bald eagles ' diet . Jackrabbits and cottontails ( Sylvilagus spp . ) combined form 9 % of the diet of bald eagles wintering on national forests in Arizona and New Mexico . 
