Raptors Flashcards
A hawk is…
a) a generic term describing a non-eagle, non-vulture diurnal (hunts in the day and sleeps at night) bird of prey.
b) a member of the genus Accipiter (Goshawk; Coopers Hawk; Sharp-shinned Hawk).
d) a diurnal raptor with short rounded wings, long tail, and light eyes.
d) all of the above.
Answer: d.
A “bird of prey” or “raptor” is …
a) any bird that preys on other living creatures.
b) a bird with powerful taloned feet for grasping and killing, a hooked beak for tearing flesh, and includes all members of the Orders Falconiformes and Strigiformes.
c) a member of the Order Falconiformes, but not the Order Strigiformes.
d) a member of the Order Strigiformes, but not the Order Falconiformes
Answer: b.
Note: The Order Falconiformes include kites, vultures, hawks, eagles and falcons. The distantly related Order Strigiformes includes all owls. Both share the common characteristic of talons and beaks, and are considered “birds of prey” or “raptors.”
A falcon is…
a) the female of the species Falco peregrinus.
b) a generic term to include all raptors with long, pointed wings, long tails, small heads, and broad shoulders.
c) any bird used in falconry.
d) “a” and “b” but not “c.”
Answer: d.
Note: Strictly speaking the term falcon applies only to the female peregrine; the male is called a tiercel by Europeans and classical falconers; however, falcon has become a generic term referring to all the members of the genus Falco, also called longwings, as described in answer “b.” Answer “c” is incorrect as Accipiters and Buteos (e.g., Red Tailed Hawk) are also used in the sport of falconry and are never referred to as falcons.
A buzzard is…
a) a member of the genus Buteo with wide wings, a heavy body, a short or “stubby” tail, and superb soaring capabilities.
b) a carrion-eating raptor with a featherless head and superb soaring capabilities.
c) the European vernacular for the genus of raptors that includes the red-taild hawk, the red-shouldered hawk, the ferruginous hawk, the common buzzard and the broad-winged hawk.
d) “a” and “c” but not “b.”
Answer: d
An eagle is…
a) a member of the genus Aquila with long, broad wings and a medium tail.
b) a large hawk-like bird.
c) any hawk-like bird that is larger than the female gyrfalcon.
d) all of the above.
Answer: a
What is the difference between falcons and hawks?
a) “Falcons” include only members of the Family Falconidae.
b) “Hawks” is a generic term, like “raptor,” that includes all the species in the Order Falconiformes.
c) Anatomical and behavioral differences.
d) all of the above.
Answer: d
False. This is a trick question. While it is true that if the term “hawk” in the question is the generic term including all birds of prey, then the long-winged raptors (genus Falco) are included and the answer is partially true. If the answer is only partially true, then the answer is False. If “hawk” in this question refers strictly to the members of the genus Accipiter, the true hawks, which have short rounded wings, then the answer is clearly “false.”
False. In genus Falco, the second primary from the leading edge of the wing is the longest, thus giving the impression of “long, pointed” wings. In buteos, accipiters, and other hawk-like birds, it is the third and or the fourth feather that is the longest or they can also be the same length.
Initial selection of a nesting area by migratory raptors such as a peregrine falcon, accompanied later by aerial display, is generally made by the…
a) male, who returns first to the nesting area.
b) female, who remains year-round.
c) neither hawk – it just happens.
d) none of the above.
Answer: a. The male usually returns to the area first and chooses the nesting site. Further, the male hunts and provides most of the food after the young have hatched, while the female provides close-in protection, care, and feeding.
Adult raptors are most likely to desert a nest…
a) just prior to egg-laying.
b) during late incubation.
c) during hatching.
d) just prior to fledging.
Answer: a. Once eggs are laid, most raptors, though not all, are likely to stick with their clutch of eggs despite disturbances. Goshawks, ferruginous hawks, and great horned owls viciously attack intruders to their nest sites.
True. This tendency is used in captive breeding of raptors to maximize the number of offspring. The system is called “double-clutching.”
True. A brancher is a young hawk capable of hopping from branch to branch testing its wings but not yet flying free. A fledgling is a young hawk that has taken its first flight but remains in the vicinity of the nest and it parent’s care.
Young hawks, particularly longwings, tend to take prey considerably larger than it typical for adults of the same species. This is because…
a) the youngsters are still growing and need more food than an adult.
b) the young hawks are stronger and out-compete their elders for larger, more nutritious prey.
c) more skill is required to catch a smaller bird.
d) all of the above.
Answer: c. Large birds are less maneuverable than small birds but are more dangerous quarry. For example, a young peregrine falcon might have better luck catching a duck than a dove. As a hawk develops its flying skills it will start to hunt smaller, less dangerous, quarry. Why is larger quarry dangerous? Example, a large duck taken to the ground by a peregrine will flap its wings and struggle to get away, kind of beating the peregrine as it dies and this can damange the falcons feathers. A dove, on the other hand, just dies.
Falconiformes generally come into their adult plumage at the first moult, which is at …
a) six months of age.
b) about one year of age.
c) about two years of age.
d) none of the above.
Answer: b. For most hawks, but not eagles, adult feathers and “adulthood” arrives during the hawk’s first moult at about one year of age. The American Kestrel is an exception, which comes into partial adult plumage at about six months. Eagles, however, go through several moults, each one year apart, before reaching full adult plumage and sexual maturity at age five.
You can tell the difference between male and female raptors by the…
a) faster speed of the females.
b) faster speed of the males.
c) larger size of the females.
d) larger size of the males.
Answer: c. In most raptor species, the plumage coloration of the sexes is the same. (note this is not true with the American Kestrel). Unlike most avian species, male raptors are generally one-third smaller than females.
Hawks in immature plumage appear to be …
a) smaller than when they become adults.
b) larger than when they become adults.
c) the same size as when they become adults.
d) Larger or smaller than the adults, depending on how well they are fed as nestlings, and on how successful they were as hunters after leaving the nest.
Answer: b. Juvenile flight feathers tend to be longer than adult feathers to compensate for less developed muscles, less ossified bones, and less flight experience. Hawks, are in essence, full-grown when they leave the nest.
True. Vultures, on the other hand, have highly developed sense of smell with which to locate carrion.
If baby raptors (known as eyas) are in the nest and one parent raptor is lost…
a) the remaining parent of either sex takes over the parenting duties.
b) if only the male survives, he abandons the nestlings.
c) if only the female survives, she finds another male to take over the hunting.
d) none of the above.
Answer: a: Observations indicate the remaining parents will go to extreme efforts to care for the offspring. However, male raptors will not tear apart kills for nestlings to eat (something the female always does). If the female is lost before the young learn to rip apart on their own, the surviival prognosis is not good and the young can starve surrounded by whole food.
In which species of longwing is there sexual dimorphism s to coloration and pattern?
a) peregrine.
b) American kestrel.
c) gyrfalcon.
d) none of the above.
Answer: b.
A malar strip is likely to be found on…
a) a peregrine.
b) a ptarmigan.
c) a Mollen hood. (the Mollen family were famous falcon trappers and hood makers in the 19th century).
d) an ornate hawk-eagle.
Answer: a. In adult plumage, the real mark of the peregrine falcon is the face bar, known as the mask or malar stripe.
Which of the following does not have long, pointed wings?
a) tiercel.
b) jack.
c) jerkin.
d) musket.
Answer: d. A musket is a male European sparrowhawk, an accipiter. Accipiters have round wings. A tiercel is a male of the species Falco peregrinus. The jack is a male merlin of the genus Falco. The jerkin is the male gyrfalcon, also of the genius Falco. The key to answering this question is in your knowledge of falconry’s classical names for the male species of hawks used in falconry.
Which of the following is the largest hawk?
a) jerkin.
b) jack.
c) falcon.
d) tiercel
Answer: a. There is some overlap in size between the jerkin (a male gyrfalcon’s weight ranges from 1000 - 1300 grams) and the female peregrine, the falcon’s weight ranges from 735 - 1135 grams). However, the jerkin is larger on average. The jack (male merlin weighs about 155 grams) and the tiercel (male peregrine) weighs around 581 grams.
True.
One is most likely to fine the cere…
a) on the head of a raptor.
b) on the feet of a raptor.
c) on the wings of a raptor.
d) around the breast area of a raptor.
Answer: a. The cere is the waxy yellow, gray or green skin at the top of the beak in which the nostrils (or nares) are situated.
The tarsus of a raptor is part of the hawk’s …
a) wing.
b) leg.
c) tail.
d) head.
Answer: b. The tarsus is that part of the leg between the foot and the first joint. Jesses, bewits (the straps that attach bells to the leg) are attached to this part of the leg
Answer: False. The large white patches mark this as an immature golden eagle. The immature bald eagle has a great deal of white on the underbody giving a mottled appearance up close.
Longwings are uniquely different from other members of the Falconiforms in that they…
a) possess extra-large feet.
b) have a “notched” beak.
c) feed only on birds.
d) are the most maneuverable.
Answer: b. All longwings have a toothed or notched beak that is used to break the neck of prey. The characteristics described in “a” and “c” are common among longwings, but they are not universal. For example, American kestrels have small feet. Peregrines and merlins have large feet indiative of an avian diet, as it takes large feet and long toes to catch birds. Gyrfalcons and Prairie falcons prey on both mammals and birds. Accipiters are the most maneuverable because of their short, rounded wings and long tails, which serve as a rudder allowing them to turn quickly.
The distinguishing identification characteristic of this hawk is the almost black triangular patch underneath the wing where flank and wing feathers meet.
a) prairie falcon.
b) luggar.
c) Peale’s falcon
d) lanner
Answer: a.
