RAPTORS: XVI

Today, it is the less common raptors I have been able to photograph:

Broad Wing Hawk 

Photo taken in Alberta, Canada

The Broad Wing Hawk summers over most of eastern North America and as far west as Alberta in the north and Texas in the south. They migrate south to winter from Mexico to Brazil. There are some subspecies that are found year round in the Caribbean.  Broad-wing Hawks live almost entirely in forested areas, with even migratory birds choosing only wooded areas to roost in. They are seemingly indifferent to the type of forest used either for breeding or wintering. During days with favorable winds, enormous kettles of tens of thousands of Broad-wings can be seen along flyways.

These birds hunt by sitting on a perch and watching for prey, and have been described as "cat-like" while stalking. When prey becomes apparent, they swoop down to the forest floor after it. Rarely, they will also fly in search of prey. The diet is variable, but small mammals are the most regular prey.

  

Rough Legged Hawk (female)

Photo taken in Central British Columbia

The Rough Legged Hawk winters in most of the US with the exception of the Southeast. It migrates in the summer to the Arctic. Typically it breeds on cliffs, slopes or in trees.  It hunts over open land, eating small mammals and carrion. This species, along with the Osprey and White Tail Kite is one of the few large birds of prey to hover regularly. The female plumage has much more white than the male, making it easy to distinguish from the male. Like several of the hawks (Rough Legged, Ferruginous, Red Tail) there is a light morph and a dark morph. The dark morph is common in the East but uncommon in the West.  

White Tail Kite

Photo taken in Northern California

The plumage on the White Tail Kite is much like a tern or gull. But the similarities end there. It is a deadly accurate predator feeding primarily on rodents. They are readily seen patrolling or hovering over lowland scrub or grassland. Since they are not bird eaters, other birds ignore them. They roost in communal groups of up to 100. The White-tailed Kite became nearly extinct in California in the 1930s and 1940s from hunting but they are now common again. Their distribution is patchy, however – they can be seen in the Central Valley (where this one was photographed), southern coastal areas, and also around San Francisco Bay They are also found in southern Texas, on the Baja Peninsula, and in eastern Mexico.