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More wildlife rehabilitation photos Owls | Other Birds | Mammals
More photos RAPTORS Birds on this page: Swainson's Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk, Rough-legged Hawk, Northern Goshawk, Northern Harrier, Bald Eagle. American Kestrel, and Merlin,
(Buteo swainsonii) Family: Accipitridae Description: A very common hawk on the Alberta prairies, the Swainson's Hawk is charaterised by a dark "bib" and dark flight feathers. In the light phase the belly and wing linings are creamy. Swainson' may also have a dark morph where the entire bird is dark making identification difficult. The Swainson's is a large hawk measuring 48-56cm long with a wingspan of about 132cm. As with most raptors, females are generally larger than males. Distribution: In Alberta, the Swainson's hawk is a bird of the prairies, found mostly south of the North Saskatchewan River and east of the Rocky Mountains. It is perhaps the most common hawk found in the region. Intersting Notes: There are two main groups of hawks in Alberta: Buteos and Acipiters. Swainsons are Buteos (or buzzard hawks). They are large, thick-set hawks, with broad wings and wide, rounded tails. They Habitually soar high in the air in large wide circles hunting for their prey which consists primarily of rodents and large insects.
The Swainson's Hawk is highly migratory, travelling 20,000 km annually on the round trip
to Argentina. They use thermal updrafts and favorable winds to aid them in their migration.
The continued use of pesticides such as DDT in some South American countries has left the
Swainson's Hawk vulnerable to pesticide poisoning.
(Buteo janaicensis) Family: Accipitridae Description: A large, broad-winged hawk with extremely variable pluage. Typically they have a rufous coloured tail on the top side, pale with dark banding underneath. Red-tails are slightly larger on average than Swainson's measuring 48-63cm. They are markedly different from the Swainson's in having a dark "belly band" instead of a bib. When flying overhead, a dark patagial bar is visible on the leading edge of the wing. Distribution: The Red-tailed hawk is found throughout Alberta but is uncommon in the southeast corner of the province. Intersting Notes: Like other buteos, Red-tails are quite variable in appearance having both dark and light morphs and a gradation in between. The most distinguishing marking in the adult Red-tail is the brick red top side of the tail, and the dark belly band, however these features may be difficult to see clearly in dark morphs.
They eat a variety of prey, mostly rodents, but are opportunisic feeders and will take what ever
happens to be available. The distintive and descending keeeeerrrrr sound of this hawk is
commonly used in TV shows and movies to provide a feeling of wilderness.
(Buteo lagopus) Family: Accipitridae Description: A large buteo, 48-60cm. The distinguishing marks of a Rough-legged hawk are a white tail with a broad black band at the tip, however the dark morph may lack the white tail. They typically have a streaked breast and dark underparts. The wings have dark wrist patches and legs are feathered to the toes. Distribution: A rather uncommon hawk in Alberta, the Rough-legged hawk spends summers in Arctic breeding ground and flies to the southern most part of the province during winter where hunting is better. Intersting Notes: The Rough-legged Hawk is one of the few hawks that routinely hovers over its prey. The population of Rough-legged hawks cycles with the population of its main prey, the lemming. In a year with a large lemming population, Rough-legged Hawks can produce up to seven chicks -- in lean years there may not be any.
The latin name "lagopus" means "rabbit's (or hare's) feet" refering to its heavily
feathered feet.
(Acciptiter gentilis) Family: Accipitridae Description: Northern Goshawks have a conspicuous eyebrow making it easy to identify. They range in size from 53-64cm with a wingspan of 102-119cm. As is typical of most raptors the female is larger than the male. Adults have a dark crown and a blue-gray back. Immatures are brown above, buffy below, with dense streaking. Both sexes show heavy tail banding. Distribution: Northern Goshawks are rather uncommon in most parts of Alberta. They breed mostly in densely wooded areas in the northern and western parts of the province. Intersting Notes: The other group of hawks in Alberta are the Accipiters. Acciptiers typically are long-tailed woodland raptors with short, rounded wings, (in comparison to buteos) adapted for hunting among trees. The group typically has red eyes as adults. The Northern Goshawk is the largest member of this group. All acipitors tend to be rather high strung and do very poorly in captivity.
The Northern Goshawk is infamous for its aggressive attitude and will not hesitate to defend
its nest from any perceived threat swooping at intruders with razor sharp talons.
(Circus cyaneus) Family: Accipitridae Description: A white rump and an owl-like facial disc set this bird apart from all other raptors. They are a slim bird with long, narrow wings. They are about 43-58cm long with a wingspan of about 97-122cm. The adult male is mostly grayish on top, mostly white on the underside, with black wing tips. The female (at right) is brown above, whitish below with heavy brown streaking on the breast. Distribution: Northern Harriers can be found throughout Alberta, but are more likely to breed in grassland and parkland areas. Intersting Notes: Northern Harriers have an elaborate courtship display. Males attract females with an exuberant, acrobatic display of alternating dives and ascents.
Northern Harriers typically fly very close to the ground when hunting, just barely grazing
the tops of long grass with their belly. The facial disc of the Northern Harrier allows
it to hunt by sound - like an owl - as well as using its excellent vision.
(Haliaeetus leucocdephalus) Family: Accipitridae Description: An all white head and tail, large yellow beak and feet in the adult makes this perhaps the easiest of large birds to identify. Adult males and females are coloured alike, but females are larger than males. Sizes range from 76-109cm with a wingspan of 1.7-2.4m. Distribution: The Bald Eagle breeds mostly in the northern parts of Alberta although there are some local nesting sites within the rest of the province. Intersting Notes: Like many migratory raptors, the Bald Eagle has been seriously affected by the use of pesticides such as DDT. It is still classified as endangered in some areas but is slowly making a comeback.
The Bald Eagle is the symbol of the U.S. - a decission that had it's detractors - the most
famous being Ben Franklin. While being a very capable hunter in its own right, the Bald
Eagle frequently scavenges and steals fish from other fishing raptors like Ospreys.
(Falco sparverius) Family: Falconidae Description: The American Kestrel is the smallest - about 19 to 20 cm long - and most common member of the falcon familiy found in Alberta. They can be distiguished from Merlin by the presence of prominant bands on the face. The back and tail are rusty coloured; the adult male has slate blue wings, the female's are rusty. Distribution: The American Kestrel may found throughout Alberta in grasslands, woodlands and have adapted well to urban environments living in parks, cemetaries and residential areas.
Intersting Notes: Some people often refer to it by its other name, "Sparrow hawk". Despite this
name the Kestrel seldom hunts sparrows and feeds primarily on grasshoppers and the
occasional mouse or vole. Only rarely does it actually hunt sparrows. It is also
unique in its ability to hover over ditches and fields -- by angling its wings and
flying into the wind, the Kestrel can "hover" over one spot as it looks for its prey.
(Falco columbarius) Family: Falconidae Description: Another common falcon in Alberta, the Merlin is sometimes called a Pigeon Hawk. A bit larger than a Kestrel it measures 25-34 cm long. Males (pictured at right) are blue-gray above, with dark bands on a gray tail. Females are dusky brown with banded tails. Both sexes have heavily streaked underparts and lack the prominant facial marks of the Kestrel. Distribution: Although slightly less common than the Kestrel, the Merlin can be found province-wide in Alberta, but are relatively rare in the Rocky Mountains.
Intersting Notes:Merlins are fast and agile flyers and resemble fast flying
pigeons in flight - hence the name "Pigeon Hawk". Merlins prey primarily on whatever
passerines happen to be abundant in the area - some individuals may specialize on one
or two species of songbirds which they dive at or take by surprise in flight. References
This page last updated July 27, 2000
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