The Tier I hawks were bigger targets compared to the other ones, but they were also much faster and had better eyesight, which made it extremely hard to hit them, even for the Tier I long-range combatants.
Their intelligence was also a notch above the other hawks and they didn't come too close to the caravan.
They didn't merely fly around without doing anything, however, as they actually attacked back. By using their lightning, the hawks were able to send out small magic missiles coated in lightning. They would launch the missiles from their mouth, and their accuracy was frighteningly high and they could hit the Tier I long-range combatants easily.
The long-range combatants would be forced to dodge the missiles, but sometimes they simply had no space to do so, which led to them either using a nearby shield to protect themselves, or they would attack and try to hit the missile before it arrived at them.