Magnificent Types of Hawks and Where to Find Them

18/01/2024

14/01/2024

Harris's Hawk

Harris's hawk (Parabuteo unicinctus) is a dark brown and copper-colored hawk with yellow legs and cere (bare area above the beak) and white tail markings. It ranges from the southwestern United States to Chile and Argentina. This social creature is a rare raptor species that hunts in groups and applies a cooperative approach to guarding nests by watching and harassing predators. It also practices “back-standing”—a behavior in which hawks stand on top of one another to spot prey and predators. Recent research found that the Harris’s hawk has exceptional color vision, which may play an important role in its hunting success.

14/01/2024

Northern Goshawk
📷Karin Koopman Photography
https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122102431886156973&set=gm.1638530936673263&idorvanity=1210397142819980

14/01/2024

Northern Goshawk

The medium-large Northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis) has a large distribution that includes North America, Europe, and Asia, and includes several regional subspecies. These orange or red-eyed hawks have slate-gray backs and white breasts with dramatic gray-black streaks. They live in forests and hunt in woods and along streams and wetlands where they have sufficient cover to surprise prey. Northern goshawks breed from mid-to-late spring. They tend to nest in mature conifers and ferociously defend their nest against perceived threats, including humans.

14/01/2024

Ferruginous Hawk

The “regal” ferruginous hawk (Buteo regalis) is the largest buteo in North America. One of the only species to have feathered legs all the way to its toes, the gray-headed hawk takes its common name from its rust-colored back and legs, with white and red wing patterns and a white chest. Less common ferruginous hawks have deeper, more chocolate-toned coloring.

These hawks soar above the prairies, deserts, and other open terrains in the western United States, preying primarily on rodents and other small mammals. In winter, groups of ferruginous hawks often hang around prairie dog colonies, waiting to nab a meal.

08/01/2024

Red-Shouldered Hawk

The rusty wings of the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus ) give way to bold brown and white wing stripes, while the breast displays fine bars of lighter brown and white. It might be difficult to spot in its woodland home, but the red-shouldered hawk’s loud whistle is easy to pick out (though it could be a mimicking blue jay). A group of American crows will sometimes mob these predatory birds—surrounding and harassing them as a defensive act—but the two species may also team up to chase away owls that threaten red-shouldered hawk offspring.

08/01/2024

Rough-legged Hawk, Fall River Mills 12.19.2020

08/01/2024

Rough-legged Hawk, Fall River Mills 12.15.2012

08/01/2024

Rough-Legged Hawk

The large rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus) breeds in the Arctic tundra of North America, Asia, and Europe, where it spends summers hunting voles and lemmings before migrating south. Some are dark brown with distinctive white marks, while others display paler patterns. The common name comes from its fully-feathered legs, which, along with a body layer of dense down, help it to withstand the cold. When hunting, the rough-legged hawk often faces into the wind and hovers as it scans for prey, or watches from a pole or high tree branch. Lacking trees on the tundra, it sometimes uses caribou bones as nest material.

14/12/2023

Cooper’s Hawk

The striking Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii ) has amber-colored eyes, grey wings, a black tail, and a brown and white speckled breast. It eats birds and small mammals like chipmunks, mice, and squirrels. The stealthy hunter moves silently from tree to tree before swooping down to surprise prey from behind. Researchers have discovered that some hummingbird species cluster their nests near those of Cooper’s hawks in order to protect their eggs from hungry jays, who avoid predators. Both Cooper’s hawk and its close relative the sharp-shinned hawk are increasing in urban areas.