Animal Encyclopedia

A fierce-tempered predator popularly used in falconry even though it is difficult to train. Appearance Male is 1 ½ feet long and weighs 1-2 ½ pounds, while the female is 2 feet long and weighs 2-3 pounds. Both sexes have short broad wings and long tails to give them extra maneuverability in their forest habitats. Plumage is brown above and brown-streaked white beneath. Food The goshawk eats rats and squirrels but has been known to eat animals as large as rabbits. They will also attack game birds (namely grouse, partridge and pheasants) as well as pigeons, crows and smaller birds. They select their prey from a concealed perch or from high in the air. The goshawk will then dive down on its prey and kill it with its talons. The prey is eaten on the spot or taken to a perch to be eaten.

Goshawk Close up

Habits and Breeding Rare and shy, the Goshawk lives in mature conifer or mixed woodlands. Often the remains of its prey are the only signs of its presence. The goshawk can be found all over the world. In early spring, the female begins aerial displays over the treetops to attract a male. Sometimes both birds can be seen flying slowly over the breeding ground in a slow "dance." After pairing, the male builds a nest if the female does not choose to reuse an old nest. The nest will be high in the fork of a large tree. The 3-5 eggs are bluish-white and the female will sit on them for 35-38 days. After hatching, the male will bring food to her and the chicks until the chicks' appetite grows too large and then she will help. The chicks fledge at 40-43 days and are then independent.

Goshawk

from Wildlife Fact-file, packet 33

Appearance Adult length: 10-14 inches. Wings are short and rounded. Tail is long and square with black bars. Plumage is gray above with the breast finely striped with rusty-brown. It is the smallest accipiter and resembles the Cooper's Hawk. Food The Sharp-shinned hawk feeds on birds, which it catches while in flight, insects and small mammals. Habits and Breeding This hawk is found in woodlands and bushy areas, prefering conifer and deciduous forests. The nest is a large, shallow cup of twigs set high in a conifer and usually well hidden. The female lays 3-6 eggs and both parents incubate them for 34-35 days, but primarily it is the female who does so. The young fledge at 23 days.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk

Birds of North America, Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region, Peterson's Bird's Nests East of the Mississippi and Reader's Digest North American Wildlife

Appearance Adult length: 14-20 inches. Resembles Sharp-shinned Hawk execpt that the tail is rounded. Food Feeds on medium-sized birds such as Mourning Doves, jays and starlings. During the breeding season it will establish a regular route along which it hunts. Habits and Breeding Prefers deciduous forest but can be found in conifers. The Cooper's Hawk is less likely to be found over open country than the Sharp-shinned hawk. More common in the west. The nest is made of twigs and placed high in a tree. 3-5 off-white eggs with brown spots are laid and incubated by the female for 34-36 days.

Cooper's Hawk

Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region andBirds of North America

Appearance Adult length: 19-26 inches. The upper body is brown while the underside is white, usually with a dark band over the belly. The tail is red, showing distinctly when in flight. There is also a "light phase" variation where the Red-tail is white. Food The Red-tail eats mostly small mammals. It will hunt either from the air or from an exposed perch. Habits and Breeding Red-tailed hawks can be found almost anywhere, but especially in open woodlands where they prefer the heavy patches of tall timber. These hawks arrive at their breeding grounds already mated.

Red-Tailed Hawk

The nest is a heavy mass of sticks and twigs high up in a tree or, if no tree is available on a cliffside or outcrop. Both adults build the nest. 2-4 eggs are laid and both parents incubate them for 28-32 days. The male will bring food to the incubating female.

Birds of North America, Peterson's Bird's Nests East of the Mississippi and Reader's Digest North American Wildlife

Appearance Adult length: 17-24 inches. The underside and the shoulder of the wing of this hawk are red, giving it its name. The flight feathers of the wing are marked with black and white bands. The tail is long and also marked with bands. The wings of this hawk are longer and more slender than the red-tail, the closest in size to it. Food The Red-shouldered hawk eats a variety of things, including small mammals, birds, frogs, snakes, lizards, snails and insects. The Red-shouldered hawk does not soar as much as the Red-tail. It is more likely to perch below the treetops as well. Habits and Breeding This bird prefers moist, open forest, bottomlands and other wet areas. The nest is built in a big tree, usually in a large crotch. This nest resembles a Red-tail nest, but is smaller. Both parents incubate the 2-3 eggs for 3 ½ weeks. The young will leave the nest in 5-6 weeks.

Red-Shouldered Hawk

Birds of North America, Book of North American Birds, Peterson's Bird's Nests East of the Mississippi and Reader's Digest North American Wildlife

Almost all leave North America in the fall and travel to Central and South America. Appearance A small, chunky buteo, the size of a crow. Tail banding of the adult has white bands about as wide as the black ones. Wing linings are white. The immature bird has tail bands that are more numerous and make the white ones smaller. Feathers on the back and head are dark while the belly is barred in a rusty-brown. Food Diet includes mice, voles, squirrels, other small mammals; toads, frogs, snakes, lizards, young turtles; various small birds; large insects. Sometimes eats crayfish, fish, centipedes, earthworms.

Broad-winged Hawk on nest

The broad-wing hunts by watching for prey from a perch, usually located along edge of woods or near water. When it sees its prey the hawk swoops down to grab the creature with its talons. Occasionally they hunt by flying through the woods or along waterways.

Habits and Breeding
They can be found in woods and groves in southern Canada and the eastern United States. Migrating birds may be seen over any kind of open country, but tend to stop for the night in forest or extensive groves of trees. They prefer to be near small ponds or streams.

In the breeding season pairs circle high in the air, calling to each other. One bird may fly high then dive steeply. Typically they breed in deciduous forest or mixed coniferous-deciduous forest, often near water and near clearings or edges. The nest is usually in the lower part of a large tree, about 25-40 feet above the ground. The nest is built by both sexes and is a rather small platform of sticks, lined with bark, moss, leaves. Often they will use the old nest of a hawk, crow, or squirrel, adding material to it. Sometimes the building may take up to 3 weeks. Usually the female lays 2-3 whitish, usually spotted with brown, eggs. Incubation is done almost entirely by the female for 28-31 days. The male brings food to female during the incubation period then may sit on eggs while she eats. The female remains with the young almost constantly for the first 1-2 weeks while the male brings food which she feeds to the nestlings. The young hawks may climb out of nest onto nearby branches at about 4-5 weeks and can fly at about 5-6 weeks and soon start learning to hunt.

Broad-winged Hawk in air

Peterson's Guide to Eastern Birds, Peterson's Bird's Nests East of the Mississippi and Peterson online

Appearance Adult length: 19-24 inches. The American Rough-legged Hawk has a dark or blotchy belly and dark patch at "wrist" area of underwing. The legs are feathered all of the way down to the toes, giving it its name. The tail is white with a broad band of black at the bottom. Food Primarily eats rodents such as voles. Will often fly over the area in a pattern much like a harrier but will also hover to search for food. It tends to hover more than most Buteos.

Rough-Legged Hawk

Habits and Breeding
The Rough-legged hawk inhabits tundra areas and thin forests, nesting where it happens to find a food supply. It is also found in marshes where it likes to spend its winters. The Rough-legged Hawk is an circumpolar bird, meaning that it lives in the cold climates within the Arctic region. It is a nomadic nester, settling where ever it finds food. The nest it makes is a cup-shape of twigs built in a tree or on a cliffside. The 2-7 eggs are white washed with green and have brown speckles. The female is the primary incubator for the 28-31 day period before hatching.

Peterson's guide to Eastern Birds, Stokes Field Guide to Birds: Western Region, Peterson's Bird's Nests East of the Mississippi and Audubon Handbook: Eastern Birds

The only Harrier found in North America, its name means "something that pursues and destroys." Appearance Both the male and female average 17-20 inches in length. The male weighs 10-14 ounces while the female weighs 14-24 ounces. Males are grey with white rumps and black wingtips, while females are mainly brown and buff with black wingtips. All Harriers have round facial disks rather like those of owls and they use them in the same way to funnel sound to the ears. When hunting, the Harrier holds its wings in a narrow "V" shape and will teeter from side to side. This is unique among American birds of prey.

Northern Harrier

Food
When in marshlands, the harrier eats small rodents and birds, especially the ground nesting birds such as larks, sparrows, rails and quail. They will also eat insects, lizards, frogs, snakes and fish. In farmland or meadows they will eat thrushes, voles and even young rabbits.

When hunting, the Harrier watches for prey while flying high above or from on a high perch or will be flying low over an area so that they use their hearing to help them hunt. After catching its prey it will take it back to the perch or to its nest.

Habits and Breeding
Breeding season begins in late April in Canada and the Northern United States. Males execute high-flying displays involving many dives, often aimed at the female that the make hopes to impress. After pairing, the female builds a nest.

The Harrier nests mainly in freshwater marches, but sometimes will use grass-covered dunes, lush meadows, moist prairies ot other grassland with vegetation high enough to cover the nest. In marshes, this is often a bulky affair on a floating platform of aquatic plants. In dry areas the nest is built in thick cover. Both male and female protect the nest.

Four to six bluish-white eggs are laid and the female incubates them while the male hunts. When the male returns with food, he calls when he is close to the nest and the female flies up to him. She then flips over with her talons up and he drops the prey to her and she returns to the nest. The male stays until the chicks fledge at 5-6 weeks and are ready to accompany the female on hunting trips.

Information from Wildlife Fact-file, packet 94

The osprey is the sole member of its scientific family (Pandionidae). Appearance Male and female are similar with brown plumage and white head feathers. The body is white and undersides of the wings dark. Both sexes are about 2ft. long and weigh 2-4 pounds. The Osprey has long legs and slender wings which form an "M" when in flight.

Osprey

Food
The osprey feeds mainly on fish caught at the water's surface, but will occassionally prey on small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and invertabrates. It flies 65-100 feet above the water and watches for its prey. It then dives down with its wings swept back and stretches its feet out at the last moment to break the water and catch its prey, after which it returns to a perch to eat. Besides its talons and large outer toe that can be swiveled backwards to hold prey, the osprey has small hooks on its feet to help it catch its fish. The osprey's feet are so well adapted to grasping that sometimes a large fish will pull them under the water and drown them.

Habits and Breeding
The osprey has one of the largest habitats of any bird. It breeds in Asia, Africa, Australia and North America. The ones in Europe winter in Africa, those in North America travel to Central and South America, and the ones in Asia spend the winter in India.

During the breeding season, the male flies rapidly up to 1000 feet or more while carrying a fish. He then hovers briefly to display the fish to the female and then he dives with his wings folded. This performance may be repeated several times.

A breeding pair builds its nest high in a treetop or on a rocky height--on the ground if there are no nearby predators. The nests are large and make of sticks and debris and may be reused and added to each year.

The 2-4 eggs (usually 3) are mottled cream and reddish-brown. They are incubated by the female for 38 days, with some help from the male. The young are ready to fly at 7 weeks and leave the nest then.

From Wildlife Fact-file, packet 25