Length ranges from 51 to 66 cm, wingspan from 122 to 152 cm, and weight from 2.2 to 4.5 pounds (998 to 2,041 g). Large, white crescent-shaped patches occur on the upperwing surface on the primaries. Sometimes they will eat meadowlarks, snakes, lizards, grasshoppers, and crickets.
The preferred habitat for Ferruginous Hawks are the arid and semiarid grassland regions of North America. Abstract in: Cooper Club: Minutes of Cooper Club Meetings. Ferruginous Hawks eat a diet of small mammals, sometimes standing above prairie dog or ground squirrel burrows to wait for prey to emerge. Prey includes Richardson's ground squirrels, white-tailed jackrabbits, black-tailed jackrabbits, ground squirrels, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, and kangaroo rats.
The word Ferruginous comes from the Latin name ferrum, meaning iron…therefore ferrgin- is for iron-rust color of the bird’s plumage. Unfortunately, this means that predators, such as coyotes or foxes, can also reach the nest and prey upon the eggs or young. Mammals generally comprise 80 to 90 percent of the prey items or biomass in the diet. This site provides information about one of North America's most amazing birds of prey and provides up-to-date information about the Tri-National Migration Study. The smaller males may leave the nest 10 days earlier than their female siblings. They will feed on snakes and other small animals, if available. Sexes are alike, females average just a bit larger than males. Retrieved on 11 May 2006. Hovering and low cruising over the ground are also used as hunting techniques.
Ferruginous hawks are carnivorous, eating ground squirrels, mice jackrabbits, birds, amphibians and reptiles. The Ferruginous Hawk primarily hunts small to medium-sized mammals (gophers, prairie dogs, squirrels, hares) but will also take birds (pheasants, grouses, ducks), reptiles (snakes), and some insects (grasshoppers, crickets, beetles). Northern Goshawk. The Ferruginous hawk has a white head, feathered legs, and streaked, ruse-brown shoulders and back. Like many raptor species, the Ferruginous Hawk has a varied diet as well as varied means for catching its prey. They typically use grassy areas and shrub-steppe with scattered shrubs or trees for perching and nesting. Winters across the southwest to Baja California and central Mexico. Voice: A harsh alarm call sounds like kree-a or kaah. They occur in semiarid grasslands with scattered trees, rocky mounds or outcrops, and shallow canyons that overlook open valleys. More ID Info. Ferruginous means 'rusty color' and refers to the birds rufous colored wings and legs. Ferruginous Hawks eat a diet of small mammals, sometimes standing above prairie dog or ground squirrel burrows to wait for prey to emerge. The ferruginous hawk is known to prey on medium-sized mammals. The ferruginous hawk is known to perch in raised areas or stand over mammal burrows when hunting. Both sexes incubate and they are monogamous. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); DesertUSA Newsletter -- We send articles on hiking, camping and places to explore, as well as animals, wildflower reports, plant information and much more. This site provides information about one of North America's most amazing birds of prey and provides up-to-date information about the Tri-National Migration Study. The oldest Ferruginous Hawk on record was at least 23 years, 8 months old when it was found in Nevada in 2006. It is dominated by a rolling landscape of arid lowlands dissected by several important rivers, and extends from the eastern slopes of the Cascades Mountains, south and east from the Columbia River to the Blue Mountains. The reasons for mortality include illegal shooting, loss of a satisfactory food supply, harassment, predation, and starvation of nestlings during times of low food supply. The bird is territorial and holds conflicts with several other large species of raptors, such as the short-eared owls, the great horned owls, hen harriers, ravens, magpies, and golden eagles.
Family: Hawk family Accipitridae (ak-sip-IH-try-dee), from the Latin accipiter meaning "hawk or bird of prey.". Ferruginous hawks breed from eastern Washington to southern Alberta and southern Saskatchewan, Canada, south to eastern Oregon, Nevada, northern and southeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, northwest Texas, western Nebraska, western Kansas, and western Oklahoma. Other prey includes snakes, lizards, meadowlarks, grasshoppers, and crickets. May Get You Killed, 7 Smartphone Apps to Improve Your Camping Experience.
An old colloquial name is "Ferrugineous Rough-leg", due to its similarity to the closely related Rough-legged Hawk (B. lagopus). As a strictly North American species, the ferruginous hawk is typically found in southwestern Canada, the western United States, and northern Mexico. The ferruginous hawk then regurgitates a pellet of fur, feathers, bone, and other non-digestible material. And it pursues prey on foot like a modern-day velociraptor, sometimes even hunting cooperatively in the manner of the Harris's Hawk. They mainly hunt for squirrels, jackrabbits, prairie dogs, and number of other, smaller animals, particularly rodents. Lurking near rodent holes, the Ferruginous Hawk grabs emerging animals by surprise. These hawks avoid high elevations, forest interiors, narrow canyons, and cliff areas. It is also common for the ferruginous hawk to be found on cultivated croplands such as plowed fields. Copyright All Rights Reserved © Canadian Raptor Conservancy. Rivaling the massive Ferruginous Hawk in size is the Upland Buzzard of central Asia, which may be a close relative from the days of the Alaska-Siberia land bridge. Both male and female ferruginous hawks take part in the incubation of the eggs, which lasts for around 32 days. The average clutch is three to four eggs. Most interestingly, they keep an eye on the hunting patterns of red-tailed hawks in order to discover mammal-rich populations. Its underparts are known to have scattered streaks, and it has gray-brown wings.
It had been banded in the same state in 1982.
Mammals generally comprise 80 to 90 percent of the prey items or biomass in the diet. In Canada, this bird is mainly found in the Canadian prairies of Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Minimize human disturbance, including rodent control and chemical applications, within 0.6 miles of active nest sites from March 5-June 15. May show up in the southeast during migration. It soars with its wings held slightly raised, although its wingtips remain nearly flat. Provide diverse herbaceous and low shrub vegetation to support prey populations (e.g., jackrabbits and ground squirrels). Obviously, public education and the elimination of persecution and human disturbance must be an important part of the overall conservation program. The diet varies somewhat geographically, depending upon the distribution of certain prey species. Investigate relationships with prey species, especially in agricultural landscapes. Birds hunt in four fashions: short distance strikes on prey from the ground, aerial hunting from low altitudes, aerial strikes from high altitudes (300 feet), and flying after prey from a perch.