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Posts Tagged ‘hawk’

Hawk | Eagle

25 Apr

The world’s 59 species of eagles are found on every continent except Antarctica. There are four major groups of eagles: fish eagles, booted eagles, snake eagles and giant forest eagles. America’s eagles are the Bald Eagle, which is a fish eagle, and the Golden Eagle, which is a booted eagle. Golden and Bald Eagles both reside in the United States.

The Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) is the only eagle species living strictly in North America. It is a fish eagle that has a presence in every state in the U.S.A. except Hawaii. The Bald Eagle can have a wing span of up to eight feet and can weigh up to 15 pounds. It inhabits areas near large bodies of water where there are plenty of fish to eat and tall trees in which to nest and roost. Bald Eagles are monogamous and remain faithful to their mate until death. Females lay one to three eggs annually in the spring time, and the incubation period is approximately 35 days.

American Blad Eagle

American Blad Eagle

Young (immature) Bald Eagles are dark brown in color when they fledge the nest at about 12 weeks of age, and the head and tail feathers turn predominantly white in their fourth or fifth year. Bald Eagles can live up to 40 years in the wild and longer in captivity. They are primarily fish eaters. Other fish eagles that can be found outside the United States around the world include: White-bellied Sea Eagle (White-breasted Sea Eagle), Solomon Sea Eagle (Sanford’s Sea Eagle), African Fish Eagle, Madagascar Fish Eagle, Pallas’ Fish Eagle (Band-tailed Fish Eagle), White-tailed (Sea) Eagle (Gray Sea Eagle), Lesser Fishing Eagle, Greater Fishing Eagle (Gray headed Fishing Eagle) and Steller’s Sea Eagle.

Immature Bald Eagle

Immature Bald Eagle

The Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos) is a large brown and golden colored booted eagle that can be found in mountainous areas of the U.S.A. This bird of prey can weigh up to 15 pounds and can have a wing span of up to eight feet. It ranges throughout the Western Hemisphere, Europe and Asia. It builds nests on mountain rocks and ledges, and feeds on small mammals and reptiles.

Other booted eagles that can be found outside the U.S. around the world include: Asian Black Eagle, Lesser Spotted Eagle, Greater Spotted Eagle, Tawny Eagle, Steppe Eagle, Imperial Eagle, Gurney’s Eagle, Wedge-tailed Eagle, Verreaux’s Eagle (African Black Eagle), Wahlberg’s Eagle, Bonelli’s Eagle, African Hawk Eagle, Booted Eagle, Little Eagle, Ayre’s Hawk Eagle, Rufous-bellied Eagle, Martial Eagle, Black & White Hawk Eagle, Long-crested Eagle, Cassin’s Hawk Eagle, Crested Hawk Eagle (Changeable Hawk Eagle), Mountain Hawk Eagle, Java Hawk Eagle, Celebes Hawk Eagle, Phillipine Hawk Eagle, Blyth’s Hawk Eagle, Wallace’s Hawk Eagle, African Crowned Eagle, Ornate Hawk Eagle, Black Hawk Eagle (Tyrant Hawk Eagle), and Black

Golden Eagle

Golden Eagle

The Harpy Eagle (Harpia harpyja) is a splendid example of a Giant Forest Eagle. It is a lovely grey, black and white bird with a prominent crest. It is endowed with thick legs and massive feet. It is perhaps the largest eagle in the world, with some females weighing 20 lbs. or more. It lives in the rainforests of Central and South America, and preys primarily on birds and various mammals, including sloths and monkeys. It builds a huge stick nest in the crotch of an emergent forest tree. It is currently a threatened species due to the destruction of the rainforests. Other Giant Forest Eagles that can be found around the world include: the highly endangered Philippine Eagle, the Guiana Crested Eagle, and the New Guinea Eagle.

Harpy eagle

Harpy eagle

The Bateleur Eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus) is an abberrent, but well known member of the Serpent or Snake Eagle group. Like other members of the group, the Bateleur Eagle has a large head covered with long feathers and stocky legs with short stubby toes – ideal for grasping snakes. Unlike some Snake Eagles, the Bateleur, which is “acrobat” in French, spends a lot of time soaring. It may cover 100 miles or more a day in search of food, which includes carrion and animals such as antelope, mice, birds and various reptiles. The Bateleur is a large, handsome jet black eagle with white under the wings, rufous tail and back, gray on the shoulders, bright crimson face and legs, and a black beak. Females are around 24 inches in length, and males are slightly smaller. Wingspans range from 6 to 7 feet. The Bateleur is found in the tree and brush savanna throughout Africa, south of the Sahara. Other Snake Eagles that can be found around the world include: Short-toed Eagle, Brown Snake Eagle, East African Snake Eagle (Southern Banded Snake Eagle), Banded Snake Eagle, Crested Serpent Eagle, Kinabalu Serpent Eagle, Nicobar Serpent Eagle, Andaman Serpent Eagle, Congo Serpent Eagle (African Serpent Eagle) and Madagascar Serpent Eagle.

Bateleur Eagle

Bateleur Eagle

 
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Posted in Hawk | Eagle

 

Hawk – Buteos

25 Apr
Buteos have broad wings with deeply slit wing tips that are used for extensive
soaring flight. These hawks have short, stout legs with short toes. Buteos
are found nearly worldwide in open country and some forested areas.
large

Broad-winged hawk (Buteo platypterus)

The Broad-winged Hawk is one of the smallest buteos, about the size of a crow. It is 14 to 19 inches long, with a wingspan of about 3 feet. Its relatively short wings and tail give the bird a chunky appearance in flight.

The adult is grayish-brown on the back, and its underparts are white, heavily barred with reddish-brown. Its tail is dark, with two or three equally wide white bands. The immature is brown-backed, and its underparts are whitish with vertical brown streaks. The barring in the tail of the young bird is not as prominent as in the adult. Broad-winged Hawks breed throughout eastern North America, from Canada to Florida. Many nest in New Jersey in areas where proper habitat still exists, primarily deep deciduous forests. In early autumn they begin a spectacular migration southward, some going as far as South America. During this time huge concentrations of these hawks can be seen along the mountain and coastal flyways of our state.

Their diet consists of a wide variety of prey animals including small mammals, snakes, frogs and toads, grasshoppers and caterpillars.

Red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus)

Red-shouldered Hawks are medium-sized slender buteos, larger than Broad-wings but smaller than Red-tails. They have body lengths of 18 to 24 inches and wingspans of 3!/2 to 4 feet. Their backs are brown, flecked with white, and their shoulders are rufous. Immature birds have brown teardrop-shaped streaks on their white breasts; adults have pale robin-red underparts.

Red-shouldered Hawks inhabit low, wet, open woodlands usually near a river, stream or swamp. They prey upon the wide variety of animal life found there: small mammals, frogs, snakes, lizards, insects and birds.

Some Red-shoulders remain resident in New Jersey year round, but most migrate southward as winter approaches. They were once common here, but loss of their preferred habitat and other factors not yet clearly identified have reduced their numbers. At present their breeding population is considered endangered in the state.

Red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis)

New Jersey’s most common large hawk, the Red-tail, is named for the rufous color of the adult’s tail. These buteos are often seen soaring in wide circles or perched conspicuously in trees along roadsides. Vocal hawks, their distinctive call – a high, shrill “kree-e-e” – is usually uttered in flight.

Red-tails stand about 2 feet tall and have wingspans of 4l/2 to 5 feet. They are dark brown above, white to cinnamon below, and usually have a band of dark streaks across the belly. Immature birds are similar to adults in plumage except for their tails – the young have brown tails for their first year. When they molt, these brown feathers are replaced by the characteristic red of the species.

Red-tailed Hawks are found throughout North America and many live in New Jersey year round. They prefer a habitat of fields and pastures mixed with open woodlands. Their large stick nests are usually built in the tallest available tree. From one to three young are raised each year.

Their diet consists mainly of mammals and includes mice, voles, squirrels and rabbits.

Rough-legged hawk (Buteo lagopus)

The Rough-legged Hawk breeds in the far north and occurs in New Jersey only as a rare winter visitor. Like many northern species, it is protected from the cold by feathers that cover even its legs and toes. Its common and scientific names both refer to the furry appearance of its legs; the Greek word lagopus means “hare-footed.”

Rough-legged Hawks are large, about 2 feet long with wingspans of 4l/2 feet. Plumage color varies greatly in this species from light to very dark (melanistic) individuals. All have a conspicuous white rump patch and a wide, dark band at the tip of the tail.

Birds of open country and graceful soarers, Rough-legs can be distinguished from other buteos in flight by their longer wings and tails. They have a habit of hovering in one spot, as Kestrels and Ospreys do.

Rough-legged Hawks are rodent eaters and feed on small animals, primarily meadow voles.

 
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Posted in Hawk| Buteos