An In Depth Look At Different Types Of Hawks
There are around 300 types of hawks across the world. In Asia and Europe they are primarily known as woodland birds that have long tails and amazing eyesight. In North America, they are more often refereed to as falcons; their family includes eagles, harriers, kites and buzzards. Loosely speaking, they can be any bird of prey other than owls. Below is a detailed look at just a few of these remarkable creatures.
Broad-winged Hawk
During the summer, these small types of hawks are found over most areas of North America, then they migrate Southern areas such as Mexico or Brazil. Their upper body parts are dark brown with black and white bands on their tails. Regardless of the season or the location, they inhabit forested areas where they like to perch on branches and watch for their prey with “cat-like” stalking. Their diet consists of small mammals such as birds, shrews and rodents. Their numbers are barely stable and their population is declining due to forest fragmentation.
Gray Hawk
These small types of hawks are found on forest edges as well as open country areas. The adults have pale gray bodies with black tails that house three white bands and they have quite short wings. They feed on mainly snakes, lizards, frogs, birds and other small mammals. Gray hawks enjoy sitting on a high perch in the open where they swoop down from, attacking their prey.
White-tailed Hawk
These are stocky, large hawks that are gray and white. Their tail is white and short with a thin black band at the end and they portray rusty-red patches on their shoulders, only visible when the wings are closed. They are virtually impossible to confuse with other birds due to their distinct looks. Young birds are darker than adults and appear almost black in flight.
Roadside Hawk
The underparts and breasts of these types of hawks are brown and white with a tail that has five gray bars. Their eyes are yellow and they have a high-pitched squeak that is quite piercing. They feed on insects, birds and small mammals such as common marmosets and tiny monkeys.
Ferruginous Hawk
This species belongs to the buteo hawks that are more commonly known as buzzards. These are large birds with very long wings and live primarily in grasslands and shrub areas in North America. The female and male hawks have identical markings, size is the only difference, with the females being larger. While they are perched, they have white breasts with dark legs. The wings and back are a rust color with a striking pattern. They have a slow wing beat similar to an eagle and they just glide through the air while they hunt for medium-sized mammals such as jack rabbits, squirrels, gophers as well as reptiles, birds and insects. They seize their prey using their feet and then drive their talons into their prey and puncture the vital organs.
Cooper's Hawk
Native to North America, these types of hawks have rounded short wings, long tails, black caps and the adults have haunting red eyes while the young hawks have yellow eyes. They prefer wooded areas across from open fields that offer plenty of hunting opportunities. These types of hawks enjoy many medium-sized birds like American Robins, woodpeckers, European Starlings, jays and doves as well as small mammals such as chipmunks, squirrels, mice, hares, lizards, snakes, frogs and insects. They were once referred to as “chicken hawks” for preying on poultry which caused them to be hunted, however, this is no longer permitted.