This hawk occurs far into South America in a wide variety of habitats, and in North America it is found from mountain forests down to lowland riparian areas and desert grasslands. It is typically solitary and soars with its wing tips held up in a distinctive broad \V\-shape that resemble a Turkey Vulture in flight. It regularly flies in among Turkey Vultures, and this similarity may help the hawk sneak closer to capture lizards, snakes and small mammals that have learned that Turkey Vultures are not dangerous.
cr_coha_081901.mp3
(0 bytes)
This beautiful species nests in marshes and eats insects and emerging aquatic larvae. The nest is woven from aquatic vegetation and attached to reeds. During the winter it forms huge flocks, often together with Red-winged Blackbirds, grackles and cowbirds. These flocks roost in trees and marshy areas and fly out each morning to agricultural fields and feed lots to eat seeds.
An inhabitant of scrubby forest, chaparral, pine-oak woodlands, and wooded suburbs, this noisy jay is usually in small family groups. It eats insects, bird eggs and nestlings as well as fruits, seeds and acorns. The nest is a large platform of twigs placed in low to mid levels of a shrub or tree.
Declining throughout its range, the Swainson\'s Hawk\'s dependence on open prairies and arid grasslands for its nesting and prey, such as small mammals, lizards and birds, may be related partially to changing agricultural practices and increasing disturbance of isolated nesting trees. This large, soaring hawk migrates 1000s of kilometers south to winter in the grasslands of northern Argentina. Here recent increases in uses of insecticides against marauding grasshoppers, the main food of Swainson\'s Hawks during the winter, may also be a contributing factor to its decline.
This bold and conspicuous jay occurs in mature coniferous forests and descends to mixed pine-oak woodlands only in harsh winters. Its catholic diet includes insects, bird eggs, and nestlings as well as seeds, pine cones and fruits. Often shy during the nesting season, the Steller\'s Jay can become quickly accustomed to humans and the free food source they provide, especially at picnic tables. The nest is placed high in a conifer on a horizontal branch, and it is a bulky affair made of twigs, leaves and mud.
The most common inland gull species in the southwest, the Ring-billed Gull can show up on any patch of water in cities or rural areas. It feeds on a wide range of food that includes fish, insects, worms, mice, eggs, carrion and garbage. It nests in colonies long the ocean and some isolated inland marshes, often with other gull species, cormorants and terns. The nest is on the ground and lined with grass and feathers.
One of the most common and obvious hawks in North America, Red-tailed Hawks are found in open habitat, fields, and desert areas with a few trees. This species eats small mammals, frogs, fish and occasionally rotting animals. Its huge nest is made of sticks and twigs and located high in an isolated tree. Individuals show tremendous variation in body color from black to brown and pale, but the tail of adults is almost always reddish.
Found in dense broad-leafed and riparian forests, this large hawk is most easily seen when it soars in broad spirals over its territory. It eats small mammals, snakes, lizards and insects. The nest is made of large twigs and sticks and is hidden high up and close to the trunk of a tall tree.
This large shorebird forms small flocks in the winter and occurs in grassy meadows, flooded fields, mud flats and pond edges. They use their long bills to probe into soft mud for crustaceans, molluscs and insects, but in upland areas they use it to catch insects, frogs, eggs, nestling birds, and occasionally berries. During the summer they move to dry upland prairies and grassland areas, and the nest of grass and dirt is placed on the ground in a low area or on the slope of a hill.
A resident of open lowland areas, riparian woodlands and adjacent desert, the Harris\'s Hawk is usually obvious as it sits on the top of a saguaro cactus or tall cottonwood snag. It also does a moderate amount of soaring as the warm thermals form at mid-day. Females frequently mate with two male at the same time, and grown juveniles from the previous nesting often help feed the young. These groups of hawks hunt in a wolf pack style. One individual chases a rabbit, squirrel or medium-sized bird prey into the waiting talons of the other members of the \pack\.