Species: Strix varia (Barred Owls)
Barred Owls live year-round in mixed forests of large trees, often near
water. Their preferred habitats range from swamps to stream sides to
uplands, and may contain hemlock, maple, oak, hickory, beech,
aspen, white spruce, quaking aspen, balsam poplar, Douglas-fir,
lodge pole pine, or western larch.
Barred Owls eat many kinds of small animals, including squirrels,
chipmunks, mice, voles, rabbits, birds (up to the size of grouse),
amphibians, reptiles, and invertebrates. They hunt by sitting and
waiting on an elevated perch, while scanning all around for prey with
their sharp eyes and ears. They may perch over water and drop down
to catch fish, or even wade in shallow water in pursuit of fish and
crayfish. Though they do most of their hunting right after sunset and
during the night, sometimes they feed during the day.
Barred Owls roost on branches and in tree cavities during the day
and hunt by night. Pairs probably mate for life, raising one brood each
year. Their nests are preyed upon by other large owls and hawks, as
well as by weasels and raccoons Other birds recognize Barred Owls
as predators; small songbirds, crows, and woodpeckers may band
together to mob them. Their most dangerous predator is the Great
Horned Owl, which eats eggs, young birds, and occasionally adults.
Species: Buteo jamaicensis (Red Tailed Fox)
Species: Buteo jamaicensis ( Red-tailed hawk)
This is probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve
got sharp eyes you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car
ride, anywhere.
Red-tailed Hawks occupy just about every type of open habitat on the
continent. This includes desert, scrublands, grasslands, roadsides,
fields and pastures, parks, broken woodland, and (in Mexico) tropical
rainforest.
Mammals make up the bulk of most Red-tailed Hawk meals.
Frequent victims include voles, mice, wood rats, rabbits, snowshoe
hares, jackrabbits, and ground squirrels. The hawks also eat birds,
including pheasants, bobwhite, starlings, and blackbirds; as well as
snakes and carrion. Individual prey items can weigh anywhere from
less than an ounce to more than 5 pounds.
Red-tailed Hawks are large, sharp-taloned birds that can be
aggressive when defending nests or territories. They frequently chase
off other hawks, eagles, and Great Horned Owls. Courting birds fly
with legs hanging beneath them, or chase and swoop after each
other, sometimes locking talons (see Cool Facts). Mated pairs
typically stay together until one of the pair dies.
Species: Aquila chrysaetos (Golden Eagle)
Species: Aquila chrysaetos (Golden Eagle)
The Golden Eagle is one of the largest, fastest, nimblest raptors in
North America. Lustrous gold feathers gleam on the back of its head
and neck; a powerful beak and talons advertise its hunting prowess.
Golden Eagles live in open and semiopen country featuring native
vegetation across most of the Northern Hemisphere. They avoid
developed areas and uninterrupted stretches of forest. They are
found primarily in mountains up to 12,000 feet. Golden Eagles nest
on cliffs and steep escarpments in grassland, chapparal, shrubland,
forest, and other vegetated areas.
Golden Eagles prey mainly on small to medium-sized mammals,
including hares, rabbits, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and marmots.
Black-tailed jackrabbits are a key prey species throughout much of
their range. These eagles are also capable of taking larger bird and
mammal prey, including cranes, swans, deer, and domestic livestock.
They have even been observed killing seals, mountain goats, bighorn
sheep, pronghorn, coyotes, badgers, and bobcats.
Golden Eagles possess astonishing speed and maneuverability for
their size. Diving from great heights, they have been clocked at close
to 200 miles per hour. In addition to attacking prey from the air,
Golden Eagles sometimes hunt on the ground, wildly flapping as they
run.
Species: Elanus Leucurus (White-tailed kite)
Commonly found in savanna, open woodlands, marshes, desert
grassland, partially cleared lands, and cultivated fields. Generally
avoids areas with extensive winter freezes, but rainfall and humidity
vary greatly throughout this bird's range. White-tailed Kites hunt over
lightly grazed or ungrazed fields where there may be larger prey
populations than in more heavily grazed areas.
The White-tailed Kite eats mainly small mammals, as well as some
birds, lizards, and insects. An analysis of more than 12,500 prey
items showed that more than 95% were small mammals, suggesting
that White-tailed Kites specialize on these animals and that other
prey are taken only incidentally
While hunting, the White-tailed Kite characteristically hovers up to 80
feet off the ground and then drops straight down onto prey items. This
ability to hold a stationary position in midair without flapping is
accomplished by facing into the wind, and is so characteristic of these
birds that it has come to be called kiting
Species: Pandion haliaetus (Osprey)
Unable to dive to more than about three feet below the water's
surface, Ospreys gravitate toward shallow fishing grounds,
frequenting deep water only where fish school near the surface.
Ospreys nest in a wide variety of locations, from Alaska to New
England, Montana to Mexico, Carolina to California; their habitat
includes almost any expanse of shallow, fish-filled water, including
rivers, lakes, reservoirs, lagoons, swamps, and marshes. Whatever
the location, Osprey nesting habitat must include an adequate supply
of accessible fish, open, usually elevated nest sites free from
predatory mammals such as raccoons, and a long enough ice-free
season to allow the young to fledge.
The Osprey is the only hawk on the continent that eats almost
exclusively live fish. In North America, more than 80 species of live
fresh- and saltwater fish account for 99 percent of the Osprey’s diet.
On very rare occasions, Ospreys have been observed feeding on fish
carcasses or on birds, snakes, voles, squirrels, muskrats, and
salamanders.
Adept at soaring and diving but not as maneuverable as other
hawks, Ospreys keep to open areas, flying with stiff wing beats in a
steady, rowing motion.
Species: Buteo swainsoni (Swainson’s Hawk)
Swainson’s Hawks favor open habitats for foraging. Although
much of their native prairie and grassland habitat has been converted
to crop and grazing land, these hawks have adjusted well to
agricultural settings.
Swainson’s Hawks eat mainly mammals and insects. Mammals
make up the bulk of the diet during breeding season, when adults
prey on ground squirrels, gophers, mice, voles, and rabbits. These
opportunistic feeders also eat bats, snakes, lizards, and birds.
Male Swainson’s Hawks choose the nest site, usually near the
top of a solitary tree or in a small grove of trees along a stream. Pairs
often build nests in shelterbelts or other trees located near
agricultural fields and pastures where they feed. Nesting trees include
willow, black locust, oak, aspen, cottonwood, and conifers.
Swainson’s Hawks often forage on foot, running after insects
and small mammals with wings partly outstretched. They also hover
like White-tailed Kites as they scan hayfields and grasslands for prey,
and soar low over prairies and pastures when hunting. The hawks
have adjusted well to agricultural operations that scare up insects,
often catching and eating them on the wing. They’ll also perch on
overhead sprinkler rigs or fence posts, and then pounce on rodents
fleeing irrigation water.
Species: Falco sparverius (American Kestrel)
North America’s littlest falcon, the American Kestrel packs a
predator’s fierce intensity into its small body.
American Kestrels favor open areas with short ground
vegetation and sparse trees. You’ll find them in meadows,
grasslands, deserts, parks, farm fields, cities, and suburbs. When
breeding, kestrels need access to at least a few trees or structures
that provide appropriate nesting cavities.
American Kestrels eat mostly insects and other invertebrates, as well
as small rodents and birds. Common foods include grasshoppers,
cicadas, beetles, and dragonflies; scorpions and spiders; butterflies
and moths; voles, mice, shrews, bats, and small songbirds. American
Kestrels also sometimes eat small snakes, lizards, and frogs.
American Kestrels nest in cavities, although they lack the ability to
excavate their own. They rely on old woodpecker holes, natural tree
hollows, rock crevices, and nooks in buildings and other human-built
structures. American Kestrels normally hunt by day.
Kestrels compete over the limited supply of nesting cavities with other
cavity-nesters, and sometimes successfully fight off or evict bluebirds,
Northern Flickers, small squirrels, and other competitors from their
chosen sites
Species: Cathartes aura (Turkey Vulture)
Look for Turkey Vultures as they cruise open areas including mixed
farmland, forest, and rangeland. They are particularly noticeable
along roadsides and at landfills. At night, they roost in trees, on rocks,
and other high secluded spots.
Turkey Vultures eat carrion, which they find largely by their excellent
sense of smell. Mostly they eat mammals but are not above snacking
on reptiles, other birds, amphibians, fish, and even invertebrates.
They prefer freshly dead animals, but often have to wait for their meal
to soften in order to pierce the skin
Turkey Vultures nest in rock crevices, caves, ledges, thickets,
mammal burrows and hollow logs, fallen trees, abandoned hawk or
heron nests, and abandoned buildings.
The Turkey Vulture's distinctive slow, teetering flight style probably
helps the bird soar at low altitudes, where it is best able to use its
nose to find carrion. At other times they may soar high on thermals
and form mixed flocks or kettles. On the ground they move with
ungainly hops and are less agile than Black Vultures.