Eagels | Falcons | Hawks |
Owls
HAWKS
 Bird: Augur
Buzzard
(Buto auguralis)
Range:
Highlands of eastern and south-central Africa from southern
Angola, Zambia, eastern Zaire, eastern and southeastern
Sudan and western and central Ethiopia south to southcentral
Namibia, northeastern Botswana and Zimbabwe. Found in open
savanna, forest, and plains country; but only at the Cape
approaching sea level. Otherwise found from 3000 - 7000
ft., but commonest at about 6000 ft.
Size:
Wingspan: Male 78 - 82 cm ; Female 84 - 90 cm
Weight: approximately 1530 g (female)
Diet:
Mainly small ground mammals; but also snakes, lizards, small ground birds such
as larks and pipits, insects, and carrion found on roads.
Description:
The adults' body above is almost black with some white flecks, and the uppertail
coverts and tail are chestnut with a dark subterminal bar in some individuals.
The primaries are black and externally ashy grey and the secondaries are whitish.
Both the primaries and secondaries are barred with black. The chin and throat
are white with some black spots on the side of the breast and throat. The rest
of the underside, including the underwing coverts, is rufous- white to rich
rufous with some black mottlings. The underside of the wing quills is white,
which contrasts strongly with the body and coverts. It is tipped in black,
which forms a dark trailing edge to the wing. The eyes are reddish brown and
the cere and feet are yellow. Immatures are browner above, with black on the
forehead, nape, and mantle. The underside, including the underwing coverts,
is pale chestnut with a few dark shaft streaks and some black spots. The tail
is brown with 11 or 12 dark brown bars, weaker basally and quite distinct from
the adult. The wing quills are black terminally, white basally, and washed
externally with grey. The secondaries are browner and barred with ash- brown
towards the tips. The eyes are brown and the cere and feet are yellow. Full
adult plumage is acquired in 2.5 to 3 yea
Natural History:
They are usually found in mountainous areas, but are also found in open plains
if there are hills nearby, and in forested areas. They are a resident non-migratory
species and occur higher than any other bird of prey in east Africa; seen soaring
to at least 17,000 ft. and breeding up to 12,000 ft.. They mate in trees or
on crags and nests are built in either trees or on crags as well. Pairs may
have up to 3 nests. The nests are made of sticks and are up to 3 ft. across
and 2 ft. deep. They are reused annually and become bulkier with age. They
lay approximately 2 creamy or bluish white, rough, and glossless eggs with
sparse streaks and blotches of red- brown and grey or mauve. The female incubates
for 35 - 40 days. Young first fledge in 46 - 51 days and fully in 70 days.
Personal History:
Selda, Echo, Buzz - Acquired by NEI in 1997 at under a year old.
Oswald - On January 10, 2002 a new baby Augur Buzzard hatched at NEI. It is pictured
above at 16 days old and 6 weeks old.
Dakota and Sierra - Hatched at NEI in 2002.
Back
 Bird: Black Kites
(Milvus migrans)
Range:
Size:
Diet:
Mainly small ground mammals; but also snakes, lizards, small ground birds such as larks and pipits, insects, and carrion found on roads.
Description:
Natural History:
Personal History:
3 - Aquired
by NEI in 2006
3 - Aquired by NEI in 2007
Back
 Bird: Ferruginous
Hawk
(Buteo regalis)
Range:
Found in open habitats, such as grasslands, shrubsteppes,
sagebrush, deserts, saltbush-greasewood shrublands, and
outer edges of pinyon-pine and other forests. Generally,
they avoid high elevations, narrow canyons, and interior
regions of forests. Found in open dry country from eastern
Washington, southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and
south-western Manitoba, south to eastern Oregon, Nevada,
New Mexico, north-western Texas, and western Oklahoma.
Their breeding range extends from southern Canada between
the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains, south to northern
Arizona and New Mexico. Their wintering range extends from
northern California south to Baja California, east through
southern Nevada, southwestern and northeastern Utah to
central Kansas, south to southeastern Texas , throughout
the southwestern states, and into Mexico. Hawks begin to
migrate into California in August or September and return
to their breeding habitat in late February or early March.
In general, they are found in the western United States
in open habitats.
Size:
Largest hawk in North America. Large broad winged, broad tailed hawk.
Length: 55.9 - 68.6 cm (20 - 27 in)
Wingspan: 134.6 - 152.4 cm (53 - 60 in)
Weight: 960 - 2070 g (34 - 73 ounces)
Diet:
Chiefly small and medium-sized mammals, including pocket gophers, black-tailed
hares (jackrabbits), cottontails, ground squirrels and prairie dogs. Will also
take mice, rabbits, and some birds including meadowlarks. Will take large numbers
of locusts or Jerusalem crickets when they are swarming. Snakes are also sometimes
taken. Gophers may make up 90 percent of their diet and, while raising young,
one pair of hawks may consume an average of 480 gophers. In Alberta, they may
also eat voles, mice, and white-tailed jackrabbits.
Description:
The name "ferruginous" comes from the Latin word ferrugo,
meaning rust, for the rusty brown on their shoulders, back,
rump, and legs. The back and shoulders are rufous, more
or less streaked and marked with blackish brown. The tail
is whitish, more or less clouded with silvery ash. Thighs
are deep rufous and barred with black. This is a large
broad-winged hawk with a large head and chest. In adults,
the top and sides of the head and hind neck are streaked
blackish brown and white. The head is a pale grey or dark
brown with eye stripes, and a white patch on each cheek.
Males and females are similar in coloration, however females
are often more rufous on the legs and belly. Similar to
other buteos, the Ferruginous Hawk has at least two color
morphs, light and dark, with variations between. In all
morphs, the eyes of the nestlings are grey, turning pale
yellow with maturity; and the cere, gape, and feet are
bright yellow. The bill is dark glaucous horn in color.
The adult light morph has a white or gray tail and mostly
white under parts. A few spots of rufous or gray are found
on the belly and on the undersides of the wings, especially
on the leading edges, and deep rufous on the legs extending
down to the toes. The amount of rufous on the undersides
of the wings and across the belly can vary. When the hawk
is in flight, the typical light morph seen from below has
a characteristic rufous V-shape formed by the rufous legs
and feet held under the rump. There is also a white window
near the wrist on the upper surface of the wing. The back
and shoulders are rufous with the remaining upperparts
grayish black. In the normal adult, the large size and
reddish legs contrast with the white under parts and whitish
tail. The legs are feathered to the toes, hence the old
name Ferruginous Rough-legged Hawk. Young birds are dark
brown above with some visible white; rufous is present
only as inconspicuous edgings. Rump is white. Tail is more
heavily marked with grey; sometimes with a few obscure
dusky bars. Below is entirely white, including thighs,
with scattered darker flecks. Chicks are white, tinged
with grey on the crown and back. Second down is thicker
and white. Immature birds of the light morph lack much
of the rufous markings on the undersides of the wings and
have whitish, not rufous, feathers on their legs. The upper
surface of the tail has a white base with large black spots
and a grayish terminal band. Fledglings have rufous chests
that fade by fall. The adult and fledglings of the dark
morph have the same coloration. Most of the body is dark
with a light colored tail and light areas on the upper
and lower surfaces of the wings.
Natural History:
Builds nests in trees, boulders, low cliffs, haystacks,
utility structures, artificial nesting structures, on
rocky ledges or, when preferred elevated sites are unavailable,
in a bush, on a hillside, or on the ground. Nests are
bulky and built of sticks, lined with cow or horse dung,
sagebrush roots, or even bleached buffalo bones. Reused,
the nest may exceed that of a Golden Eagle in size, even
reaching 12 - 15 ft. in height. Magpies often nest in
the bases of these large nests, and nests are sometimes
taken over by Great Horned Owls. While larger species
usually lay fewer eggs, the Ferruginous Hawk has a larger
clutch size than smaller species of the genus. Three
to five ovate, white to bluish white, boldly spotted
and blotched with dark and light brown eggs are laid
from mid-April to early June. Eggs are laid at 2 day
intervals and incubation by both parents takes about
28 - 33 days. The eggs hatch around the time young gophers
become active above the ground. Young fledge at 38 -
50 days old; males may leave up to 10 days earlier than
females. At 52 days old, fledglings can kill prey, but
they usually remain dependent on their parents for several
weeks after fledging. Young leave the nest area 28 -
40 days after fledging. Typically, Ferruginous hawks
are 2 years old when they first breed and may live up
to 15 - 20 years of age.
Ferruginous hawks hunt throughout the day. In some areas
they are crepuscular, because the prey species are crepuscular.
Most frequently used methods of hunting include: perch
and pounce; hunting from a perch with short flights to
capture prey; and ground ambush, hunting from the ground
near a ground squirrel burrow or fresh pocket gopher
mound, striking the prey as it emerges. Occasionally,
they hunt while in flight or while hovering, the latter
usually used in strong winds. They are known to frequently
hover in flight. In addition to communally roosting in
the winter, they are also known to hunt communally.The
population of the species is thought to be declining
and in need of protection throughout its range. In the
early 1900's, they nested throughout south and central
Alberta as far north as Edmonton. By 1987, nesting birds
were found no further north than Coronation. Biologists
estimate there are now 1400 - 1700 breeding pairs in
the province, over half the Canadian population. Habitat
loss is a major problem. Cultivation, settlement, and
resource exploration have reduced prairie grasslands
and gopher populations. Without sufficient food, the
hawks may not establish nests. This species is also easily
disturbed by human activity, particularly during the
nesting period. Agricultural development is also a serious
threat to the species. Other threats include the effects
of grazing, poisoning and controlling of small mammals,
mining, and fire in the nesting habitats. Although it
is not as significant a problem in the breeding range,
shooting may still be a problem in the wintering range,
including California. The Ferruginous Hawk is listed
as a California Species of Special Concern. Some say
the outlook in Canada is bright. The prairie population
is stable but still vulnerable. This is in part due to
landowners who are increasingly aware of the essential
role these predators play in the prairie ecosystem..
It is illegal in Alberta to kill these hawks or disturb
their nests at any time of the year. They also winter
near cultivated fields that have an abundance of pocket
gophers. In such areas, they will sometimes roost in
groups of up to 24 individuals.
Personal History:
Winston - Acquired by NEI in Spring 2002 from Sea World
San Diego, he was one of several birds to fly out of a
blimp in their show. Hatched in captivity in January, he
will be 11 years old in January 2003.
Back
 Bird: Harris'
Hawk
(Parabuteo uncinctus)
Para - (Greek) = Near ; buteo -
(Latin) = Falcon or Hawk
Unius = One ; cinctus = Girdled (refers
to white "girdle" around base of tail)
Range:
Southern United States to South America. Southeast
California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Mexico, Chile,
and Argentina. Found in savanna, open woodland, and
semi-desert habitats; especially near water.
Size:
Medium sized hawk, slightly smaller than the more common Red-tailed Hawk.
Length: 48 - 56 cm (19 - 22 in.)
Wingspan: 45 in. (117 cm)
Weight: Male 500 - 750 g ; Female 750 - 1300 g
Diet:
Snakes, rabbits, quail, and lizards. Also, ducks, small to medium sized birds,
and small rodents. Occasionally, carrion.
Description:
Adults are dark, sooty black-brown with a flashy white rump and a white band
at the tip of the tail. Their shoulders and thighs are chestnut. Immatures
have white and chestnut underwing, breast, and thighs streaked with russet
brown; rusty shoulders and a white patch at the base of the tail.
Natural History:
The origin of the common name is from Edward Harris, a friend of John James
Audubon. These hawks hunt by gliding at low levels or by swooping from a low
perch. They soar in spiral flight patterns or perch in the tops of tall trees
or on utility poles along highways. "Stacking" is a term used to
explain how they may sit on top of each other on the cacti, since there is
not much space to roost in the desert. They often build nests in tall saguaro
cacti. The nest is built on a compact platform, is made of sticks, twigs, weeds
and roots, and is lined with elm shoots, leaves and grasses. Sometimes two
males will nest with one female. They lay 2 - 4 eggs in a clutch. Sometimes
two clutches may be laid in a season in early March - June. The eggs are white
and incubated by both the male and female for 33 - 36 days. Usually, fledglings
leave the nest 54 - 57 days after hatching.
Personal History:
Most of our Harris Hawks came from breeders in Louisiana.
Dante, Mason, and Clancey - Lure routine. Dante and Clancey were acquired by
NEI from a private breeder in 1993 at 2 months old. Mason was acquired from a
private breeder in 1996 at 1 month old.
Bo and Tiercil - Acquired from private breeders in 1993 at 2 and 3 months old.
Amber - Acquired from a private breeder in 1994 at 3 months old, she is trained
to hover in a wind machine.
Scooter - Also acquired from a private breeder in 1994 at 3 months old.
Tia - Acquired from a private breeder in 1995 at under a year old.
Harri and Orion - Acquired from a private breeder in 1996 at 1 month old.
Levi and Holdem - Acquired by NEI in 1997 at under a year old from a private
breeder.
T.J. - Acquired from a private breeder in 1998 at an unknown age.
Back
 Bird: Red-tailed
Hawk
(Buteo jamaicensis)
Range:
North America from western and central Alaska, central Yukon, western Mackenzie
and northern Saskatchewan east across central and southeastern Canada to New
Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia. Also, south to southeastern
Alaska, Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Nuevo Leon, southern Texas, the Gulf
coast and Florida. And, in the highlands of Middle America from Mexico and Central
America to western Panama. Also in the West Indies, in the northern Bahamas,
Greater Antilles and Lesser Antilles. Winters from southern Canada south through
Middle America and the West Indies to Panama and the Lesser Antilles. Found in
woodland, field, desert, and mountainous habitats.
Size:
A large, common hawk of North America. Their size and coloration vary greatly
from region to region.
Length: 56 cm (22 in.)
Wingspan: 127 cm (50 in. ; ~ 4 ft.)
Weight: 700 - 1500 g ; Males being on the lower end of the scale (2 - 4 lbs.)
Diet:
Preys primarily on rodents, occasionally rabbits, and snakes
Description:
They have broad, fairly rounded wings. The adult plumage varies with
region, but all adults have the distinct reddish tail (gained at one
year of age). They are larger than most other Buteos. The adult is dark
brown above, deepest in the mid-back and somewhat variegated by feather
edgings and concealed markings varying from rufous to white. The wing
quills are dark grey, becoming paler and whitish basally. The primaries
are black at the ends and barred with black. The secondaries have obscure
barring and mottling. Their is a black stripe at the corner of the gape.
The underparts are white with some scattered dark streaks, especially
across the lower neck and mid abdomen. The flanks and abdomen sometimes
are obscurely barred with rufous. The tail is pale chestnut below, tipped
white and banded black. The underwing coverts and base of quills below
are whitish with scattered brown marks. The eyes are brown, the legs
are yellow, the cere is yellow, and the bill is horn colored. Young are
somewhat more mottled with white above. The tail is grey or grey-brown
with about seven narrow blackish bars. They are like the adult below,
but with more streaking and spotting, and usually with a white area on
the breast. The eyes are pale yellow and the legs and cere are yellow
Natural History:
They pair bond and are extremely territorial. They are sometimes mistakenly
referred to as "Chicken Hawks", though they don't typically prey
on livestock. They are the most common type of hawk found in North America.
Their voice is a hoarse and rasping 2 - 3 second scream which is most commonly
heard while soaring. They are loudest when defending their territory. They
build a large nest of twigs, lined with finer material such as inner bark
and corn stalks. Nests are often placed high in trees. In desert regions,
they may nest in cactus 12 or 15 ft. from the ground. Occasionally, they
nest on rock pinnacles, ledges, or even steel towers. Nests are often reused
annually and the nest tree is often in a semi-open area. Both parents build
the nest and 1 - 3 whitish eggs are laid. Most of the incubation is done
by the female although both participate. Incubation lasts 28 - 32 days
and young fledge about 45 days after hatching.
Personal History:
Isabeau - Captive bred in 1997, from Wisconsin.
Cal - Captive bred in 1996, from Wisconsin.
Pete - Rehabilitated in 1996, non-releasable.
Sybil - Captive bred and acquired from a private breeder in 1993.
Celis - A pure white Red-tailed Hawk which hatched in 1990 and was acquired by
NEI from a private breeder in Sept. 1998.
Ice - A partially white Red-tailed Hawk acquired from the Columbus Zoo in 2000
at 3 years old.
Denali - Acquired by NEI in 2001 from a private breeder in Wisconsin at under
a year old.
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