How big is a Swainson’s hawk?

What is The wingspan of a Swainson’s hawk?

The Swainson’s Hawk is a fairly large hawk with a body length ranging 43-56cm and a wingspan between 117-137cm. They weigh between 500-1700g.

What is the difference between a red tailed and Swainson’s Hawk?

The Swainson’s Hawk is a slender raptor slightly smaller in size than a Red-tailed Hawk. However, the Swainson’s Hawk has a slightly longer wingspan and slimmer wings that other soaring hawks. A common color pattern for the adult Swainson’s Hawk is dark brown plumage with a brown chest and a pale belly.

What is the habitat of a Swainson Hawk?

The Swainson’s Hawk, – Buteo swainsoni -, spends most of the year in the western United States extending into southwest Canada and south to west Texas. In the winter months, these birds migrate over Central America to the La Pampas region of Argentina (Brown 1996, TPWD 1997). This hawk prefers open grasslands and desert-like habitats.

Why is the Swainson’s Hawk endangered?

This species of hawk is on the list of Federal Species of Concern, and is also considered threatened by the state of California. The primary cause of this concern is the massive killing of more than 20,000 Swainson’s Hawks by pesticides used in the Argentina agricultural areas.

Do Swainson’s Hawks get along with other hawks?

During the mating season, the Swainson’s Hawk stays with its mate, and is highly territorial toward all other hawks. For the rest of the year, this hawk can live peacefully among other Swainson’s Hawks and other birds in general.

Why is the Swainson’s Hawk important to farmers?

The Swainson’s Hawk is of special importance to farmers, both in North and South America. Some Swainson’s Hawks will live entirely on insects and rodents that it catches in crop fields, thus alleviating some crop destruction for farmers.

How long does the Swainson’s hawk migration take?

The Swainson’s hawk is the second longest migrant of any North American raptor, after arctic nesting Peregrine falcons. The flight from breeding ground to South American pampas in southern Brazil or Argentina can be as long as 7,100 mi (11,400 km). Each migration can last at least two months. They leave the breeding grounds from August to October.

Why do Swainson Hawks follow tractors and other agricultural equipment?

Swainson’s hawks often follow tractors and other agricultural equipment during haying or ploughing, where rodents are exposed for the birds to capture, or insects are uncovered after crop cutting.

How many Swainson Hawks are there in the world?

Swainson’s Hawk numbers have been stable overall, with a slight increase between 1966 and 2015, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. Partners in Flight estimates the global breeding population at 580,000, with 73% breeding in the U.S., 20% in Canada, and 6% in Mexico.

Where do swainsonhawks live?

Swainson’s hawks are found in North America mainly in the spring and summer, and winter in South America. Breeding areas include south-central Alberta, central Saskatchewan, southwestern Manitoba, and west and southern Minnesota.

Are Swainson’s hawks social Raptors?

Swainson’s Hawks are social raptors, nearly always being found in groups outside the breeding season. You may see them soaring in a kettle of migrating birds; strung out on the ground, fence posts, and utility poles when foraging on grasshoppers; or chasing swarms of dragonflies on winter quarters in Argentina.

Why are Swainson’s Hawks important to the environment?

Some Swainson’s Hawks will live entirely on insects and rodents that it catches in crop fields, thus alleviating some crop destruction for farmers. This species is also important to scientists as they can study the ecological details of its massive migration of over 5,000 miles (Brown 1996, AID 1997, Line 1996).

How do Swainson’s hawks migrate?

In late summer as migration nears, Swainson’s Hawks “flock up” by the thousands to move to their South American wintering grounds. A migrating bird waits for the air to warm, then soars on the rising air currents with wings and tail spread wide.

What kind of habitat do Swainson hawks live in?

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.

What time of year do spring hawks migrate?

Spring migration broadens once the birds have passed through Mexico as they disperse through the breeding range. Migrant groups are noted in the southern U.S. states in March. The earliest Swainson’s hawks arrive in southern Canada in late March, with migration peaking from mid April onwards.

Where can I find Swainson’s hawks?

Your best bet for finding Swainson’s Hawks is during summer in open country west of the Mississippi River. They are perch conspicuously on utility poles, fence posts, and isolated trees in areas that otherwise lack such elevated perches.

Do Swainson hawks eat grasshoppers?

Swainson’s hawks may be largely insectivorous except when nesting. Insect prey commonly taken includes grasshoppers, crickets, and locusts. Other Buteo hawks in this species range, including smaller-bodied species, do not normally prefer insects in their diet but instead focus on rodents and other small vertebrates.

Why do Swainson’s hawks die?

Swainson’s hawks die because of collisions with traffic, illegal shooting, electrocution, and even during severe prairie weather such as hailstorms. Wind storms and hail caused 30% nest failure in one study. When sharing a grove with nesting great horned owls, the hawks suffer much egg loss due to owl predation.

What insecticide kills Swainson’s hawks?

In 1996, it was discovered that agricultural use of monocrotophos and other organophosphate insecticides against grasshoppers in Argentina was killing large numbers of Swainson’s hawks (Buteo swainsoni). This raptor breeds in western Canada and the U.S. and migrates to winter on the pampas of South America.

Where do sparrowhawk birds breed?

Most young sparrowhawks will breed within 20km of where they were raised. Birds which use the same nesting territory in successive years will usually also have the same mate. British sparrowhawks are largely resident, but migrants from northern Europe both pass through and winter here.

What do Swainson hawks eat?

Swainson’s Hawks are territorial on the breeding grounds, but share territories where pair densities are high. They are large birds, only slightly smaller than Red-tailed Hawk, but hunt mainly rodents and insects, and also small birds and snakes.