Hawk/Falcon Facts

Question 1

Red Shouldered Hawk Appearance

Answer 1

Adults are medium-sized hawks and are colorful with dark wings with white barring. They have a rusty red shoulder and underparts that are paler and barred with a rust color. Their distinctive tail is black with white bands.

Question 2

Red Shouldered Hawk weight

Answer 2

approx. 1.5 lbs

Question 3

Red Shouldered Hawk habitat

Answer 3

Red-Shouldered Hawks live in deciduous woodlands, often near rivers and swamps. During migration, Red-Shouldered Hawks often move high overhead along ridges or along the coast. They are not exclusively birds of deep forest. You will find Red-Shouldered Hawks in some suburban areas where houses or other buildings are mixed into woodlands.

Question 4

Red Shouldered Hawk Diet

Answer 4

eat mostly small mammals, lizards, snakes, and amphibians; they also eat toads, snakes, and crayfish; they occasionally eat birds such as sparrows, starlings, and doves

Question 5

Red Shouldered Hawk Behavior

Answer 5

Red-Shouldered Hawks soar over forests or perch on tree branches or utility wires. They hunt from perches below the forest canopy or at the edge of a pond, sitting silently until they sight their prey below

Question 6

Red- Tailed Hawk Appearance

Answer 6

The Red-Tailed Hawk has a brown back and white breast. The tail of the adult is usually pale below and a brick-red color above. In young Red-Tailed Hawks, the tail will be brown and banded. Red-Tailed Hawks usually molt into adult plumage (including the red tail) at the beginning of their second year.

Question 7

Red-Tailed Hawk weight

Answer 7

Approx 3-3.5

Question 8

Red Tailed Hawk habitat

Answer 8

Red-Tailed Hawks occupy just about every type of open habitat on the continent. This includes woodlands, fields, plains, deserts, scrublands, grasslands, roadsides, and parks. Look for them along fields and perched on telephones poles, fence posts, or trees.

Question 9

Red-Tailed Hawk Diet

Answer 9

Mammals make up the bulk of most Red-Tailed Hawk meals. These include voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels. Red-Tailed Hawks also eat birds such as peasants, bobwhites, and various songbirds.

Question 10

Red Tailed Hawk Behavior

Answer 10

Red-Tailed Hawks are most often seen soaring in a wide circle above a field. They may also be seen sitting on the top of telephone poles with their eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a small mammal. Red-Tailed Hawks attack in a slow, controlled dive with legs outstretched. Red-Tailed Hawks are also known to be aggressive when defending nests or territories. They frequently chase off other hawks, eagles, and Great Horned Owls.

Question 11

Red Tailed Hawk fun facts

Answer 11

The Red-Tailed Hawk is one of the most common hawks in North America. It did not suffer the sever population declines caused by DDT that affected other species. Also, the Red-Tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that has caught the attention of most Hollywood directors. Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry on the soundtrack is almost always a Red-Tailed Hawk.

Question 12

Harris’s Hawk Appearance

Answer 12

Harris’s Hawks are medium-sized to large hawks. They have bold markings of dark brown, chestnut red, and white. They have long yellow legs and yellow markings on the face.

Question 13

Harris’s Hawk habitat

Answer 13

Harris’s Hawks reside in the arid southwest (They are not native to Ohio). They are conspicuous birds of desert and savannah environments. Harris’s Hawks are found in semi-open desert lowlands and in some wetland habitats. Their territories include high perches such as trees, boulders, and power poles, which the birds use as lookouts, feeding platforms, and for nesting. Access to water is important in hot environments, and they generally choose areas that include water features such as springs, water catchments and cattle tanks. As development has expanded, Harris’s Hawks have moved into urban and suburban areas throughout their range.

Question 14

Harris’s Hawk Diet

Answer 14

Harris’s Hawks feed mostly on medium-sized mammals such as hares, rabbits, ground squirrels, and other rodents. They may also take quail, medium-sized birds, and reptiles.

Question 15

Harris’s Hawk Behavior

Answer 15

When hunting, a group of hawks surround their prey, flush it for another to catch, or take turns chasing it. They are agile flyers that, when hunting, may also take to the ground, running and hopping to seize prey.

Question 16

Harris’s Hawk Fun Fact

Answer 16

The most social of North American raptors, these birds are often found in groups, cooperatively attending nests and hunting together as a team. Groups can consist of up to seven individuals, including both related and unrelated adults of different ages. They will feed according to dominance hierarchies within the group. This hawk’s social nature and relative ease with humans has made it popular among falconers and in education.

Question 17

Rough Legged Hawk Appearance

Answer 17

Rough-Legged Hawks are fairly large hawks with broad wings and a long tail. They are boldly patterned, dark-brown hawks with tails that are dark at the tip and pale at the base. They occur in light and dark morphs. Light morphs have pale underwings with dark patches at the bend of the wing. Females have pale heads and dark belly patches. On males, the pattern is similar but more mottled. Dark morphs are mostly dark brown but usually show pale trailing edges to the underwing.

Question 18

Rough-Legged Hawk weight

Answer 18

approx. 2lbs

Question 19

Rough-Legged Hawk Habitat

Answer 19

Rough-Legged Hawks breed in open country of the arctic, both in North America and Eurasia. They nest on cliffs and outcroppings in low-lying boreal forest, treeless tundra, uplands, and alpine regions, both inland and coastal. During years of abundant prey, their breeding range extends south into forested taiga. In tree-covered areas, they hunt over open bogs and other clearings. They winter across southern Canada and most of the United States—west, central, and northeast—in open country, including grasslands, coastal prairies and marshes, farmland, and dunes.

Question 20

Rough-Legged Hawk Diet

Answer 20

On their arctic breeding grounds, they eat mostly small rodents such as lemmings and voles, along with some medium-sized mammals—arctic ground squirrels, young hares, pocket gophers—and birds. On their wintering grounds, they eat mostly voles, mice, and shrews.

Question 21

Rough-Legged Hawk behavior

Answer 21

The Rough-Legged Hawk hunts by pursuing prey or by hovering into the wind and dropping down on prey. They also hunt from elevated perches such as utility poles, trees, fence posts, and haystacks, particularly in winter. They sometimes feed on carrion or steal from other hawks and ravens.

Question 22

Feathers fun fact of Rough-Legged Hawk

Answer 22

The name “Rough-Legged” Hawk refers to the feathered legs. Rough-Legged Hawks are one of three raptors in the United States with feathers all the way to their toes (Other two are the Ferruginous Hawk and the Golden Eagle). It is an adaptation for living in cold climates.

Question 23

Peregrine Falcon Appearance

Answer 23

Peregrine Falcons are the largest falcon over most of the continent, with long, pointed wings and a long tail. Adults have blue-gray to brown-gray upperparts and barred underparts. They have a dark head and a black tear stripe on their cheeks (This stripe is important for keeping the sun out of their eyes).

Question 24

Peregrine Falcon habitat

Answer 24

Peregrine Falcons occur all over the world. In North America, they are most common along coasts. They breed in open landscapes with cliffs (or skyscrapers) for nest sites. They can be found nesting at elevations up to about 12,000 feet, as well as along rivers and coastlines or in cities.

Question 25

Peregrine Falcon Diet

Answer 25

Peregrine Falcons eat mostly birds, of an enormous variety—450 North American species have been documented as prey, and the number worldwide may be as many as 2,000 species. They have been observed killing birds as large as a Sandhill Crane, as small as a hummingbird, and as elusive as a White-Throated Swift. Typical prey include shorebirds, ptarmigan, ducks, grebes, gulls, storm-petrels, pigeons, and songbirds including jays, thrushes, longspurs, buntings, larks, waxwings, and starlings.

Question 26

Peregrine Falcon behavior

Answer 26

Peregrine Falcons are very strong fliers and are the fastest birds in the world. Their average cruising flight speed is 24 to 33 mph, increasing to 67 mph when in pursuit of prey. When diving, it’s been calculated that Peregrine Falcons can achieve speeds of 238 mph. When hunting, Peregrines start by watching from a high perch or by soaring at great height. Dives begin 300 to 3,000 feet above their prey and end by striking the prey with its feet hard enough to stun or kill it. They then catch the bird and bite through the neck to kill it. Peregrine Falcons do have other hunting methods, including level pursuit, picking birds out of large flocks, and occasionally even hunting on the ground.

Question 27

Peregrine Falcon DDT fact

Answer 27

Peregrine Falcons were virtually eradicated from eastern North America by pesticide poisoning. In the mid-20th century, the pesticide DDT was sprayed on farmland and the chemical made its way into the food chain. Peregrine Falcons absorbed large amounts of DDT from their prey like fish and other birds. DDT caused thinning of the birds’ egg shells, preventing the offspring from developing. Peregrine Falcons were placed on the Federal Endangered Species list in 1970. Since the banning of DDT, the Peregrine Falcon population has steadily increased, and they are no longer on the Endangered Species List.

Question 28

Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project

Answer 28

The Midwest Peregrine Falcon Restoration Project was initiated in an effort to restore the peregrine to the Midwest. Although peregrine falcons did not historically nest in Ohio, Ohio became a partner in the project. As the first step in the restoration project, Ohio received peregrines for release through a technique known as “hacking.”
Ohio’s hacking program continued from 1989 to 1993 with a total release of 46 peregrine falcons in the cities of Akron, Cincinnati, and Columbus.

Question 29

Columbus Peregrine FalconCam

Answer 29

The Columbus Peregrine FalconCam was started in 1997 as a way to observe the lives of Peregrine Falcons. The Columbus FalconCam observes a nest box sitting on a ledge of the 41st floor of the Rhodes State Office Tower in downtown Columbus. The cameras bring the daily activity of these birds—consumption of prey, protection of eggs, care for chicks, and much more—into offices, classrooms, and homes.

Question 30

American Kestrel Appearance

Answer 30

The slender American Kestrel is roughly the size and shape of a Mourning Dove, although it has a larger head; longer, narrow wings; and long, square-tipped tail. American Kestrels are one of the most colorful of all raptors. They are pale when seen from below. Their upperparts, however, are warm, rusty brown and spotted with a black band near the tip of the tail. Males have slate-blue wings, and females’ wings are reddish brown. Both sexes have pairs of black vertical slashes on the sides of their pale faces which helps keep the sun out of their eyes.

Question 31

American Kestrel Habitat

Answer 31

American Kestrels occupy habitats ranging from deserts and grasslands to alpine meadows. You are most likely to see them perching on telephone wires along roadsides. American Kestrels favor open areas with short ground vegetation and sparse trees. You will find them in meadows, grasslands, deserts, parks, farm fields, cities, and suburbs

Question 32

American Kestrel Diet

Answer 32

American Kestrels eat mostly insects and other invertebrates, as well as small rodents and birds. Common foods include grasshoppers, cicadas, beetles, dragonflies, scorpions, spiders, butterflies, moths, voles, mice, shrews, bats, and small songbirds. American Kestrels also sometimes eat small snakes, lizards, and frogs.

Question 33

American Kestrel behavior

Answer 33

American Kestrels usually snatch their victims from the ground, though some catch prey while flying. They are very graceful in flight, even though they are small enough to get tossed around in the wind. When perched, kestrels often pump their tails. This behavior is thought to be an indication of pre-flight/pre-attack motions.

Question 34

American Kestrel hierarchy fun fact

Answer 34

American Kestrels are North America’s littlest falcon, and they were once called sparrow hawks. Despite their fierce lifestyle, American Kestrels end up as prey for larger birds such as Northern Goshawks, Red-Tailed Hawks, Barn Owls, American Crows, Sharp-Shinned Hawks, and Cooper’s Hawks.

Question 35

American kestrel population

Answer 35

The kestrel population in Ohio grew as the state’s forests were cleared for agricultural uses. Today, it is common to see kestrels hovering and hunting for prey in the grass median between many of the state’s major highways.