HAWK
Buteo jamaicensis, Parabuteo unicinctus
Red-Tailed Hawk Facts
- Habitat: open fields especially near woodlands, grasslands, marsh-shrub, and urban areas
- Status: Least concern
- Diet: These carnivorous birds eat small mammals, birds, rabbits, lizards, snakes, and more
- Weight: 1.5 - 3.5 lbs.
- Height: 18" - 26" body; wingspan is 43" - 55"
- Lifespan: 6 - 10 years in the wild; 25 - 35 years in captivity
- In the SWCC Sanctuary: 2
- Interesting Fact
- The red-tailed hawk is one of the few birds capable of “kiting,” holding still against the wind on set wings, much like a kite tugging against a string.
Photo by Derek Sterling
Harris' Hawk Facts
- Habitat: sparse woodland, semi-desert as well as some marshes
- Status: Least concern
- Diet: These carnivorous birds eat small mammals, birds, rabbits, lizards, snakes, and more
- Weight: males are 1.5 lbs., females are larger at around 2 lbs.
- Height: 18" - 23" body; wingspan is 41" - 47"
- Lifespan: 14 - 25 years
- In the SWCC Sanctuary: 1
- Interesting Fact
- Harris’s hawks are the only birds of prey that hunt in groups. Such unique behavior has earned them the nickname “wolves of the sky.”
THE SWCC HAWKS
