How Northern Harriers are Similar to Owls A Northern Harrier flies low over the grasslands with a flock of Red-winged Blackbirds following it. Commonly mobbed by blackbirds, sparrows, starlings, swallows, kestrels, Short-eared Owls, Sharp-shinned Hawks, and other birds, the raptor decides the annoying harassers are too swift and maneuverable to put out the effort of […]
It’s summer, and you think you may have heard the scream of a Red-tailed Hawk. You look up, and see a bird with a contrasting two-toned underside consisting of dark flight feathers and paler underwing coverts. You are pleased, maybe even surprised, to see a Swainson’s Hawk -a raptor that resides in the western part […]
As I looked out my window I spot an uninvited guest arriving. It settles on a branch near one of my sunflower feeders and begins looking around. A little larger than a robin, but smaller than a crow, this hawk did not come for the seeds. Visitors to the Draper Museum Raptor Experience https://centerofthewest.org/explore/greater-yellowstone-natural-history/raptor-experience will […]
Raptors worldwide regularly dine on a wide variety of prey. In the wild we can thank raptors such as Red-tailed Hawks and Rough-legged Hawks for killing thousands of pests including mice, rats, and voles. Many urban areas can give credit to peregrine falcons for helping out with their pigeon and starling problems. Across the globe, […]
Here are some facts you might not know about birds of prey FACT #1: There are 30 species of hawks, falcons, and eagles as well as 18 species of owls breeding in North America. FACT #2: The scientific name of turkey vultures, Cathartes aura, means “purifying breeze” which reflects vultures’ ability to clean-up animal remains. […]
When visitors first see Isham, our red-tailed hawk, often the first thing I hear is, “We have lots of these back home.” That is probably true, as red-tailed hawks are the most common soaring hawk in all of North America, from Alaska right down through Mexico and Central America, as well as in Jamaica. But […]