Harris' Hawk

COMMON NAME: Harris' Hawk (also known as the bay-winged hawk)

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Parabuteo unicinctus

IDENTIFYING CHARACTERISTICS:
The Harris' hawk is a large, long-tailed, broad-winged hawk about 18 inches long with a wingspan of 43 inches. It has a chocolate-brown head and neck and a short, dark, hooked beak with a yellow cere. The tail is dark (black in adult birds) with a white base and terminal band.

RANGE:
Common in the southwestern United States and most of South America.

HABITAT:
Sparse woodland or semi-desert

NESTING:
They build a simple platform nest of sticks, twigs, weeds, and roots, lined with moss or a similar material. The nest is rarely more than 30 feet above the ground. The lay two to four eggs. Incubation is 33 to 36 days..

FEEDING HABITS:
Mainly small to medium-sized rodents. It is also known to take birds -- often in flight -- lizards, insects, and mammals up to the size of a full-grown rabbit. There is some evidence that it also eats carrion when prey is in short supply.

CONSERVATION STATUS:
This bird is common in its range. There is evidence that the species is spreading northwards into the United States.

Additional Information (not specifically about hawks):
Publications