![]() ![]() Northern Harriers are slender with long broad wings and are between the size of a crow and a goose. They often fly with the tips of their wings higher than their bodies in a v-shape.įemales are brown, and males are gray above and white below, and they have a white rump patch.Ĭredit: James Bradley, XC326879. They are more commonly seen from March to November and are recorded in 6% of summer checklists. In summer, Northern Harriers are the third most frequently spotted hawks in Alberta, where they spend their breeding season. The inside of the nest is lined with softer material, such as dung, bark, wool, and grass. The nests are a large collection of twigs and sticks and can be up to 2 feet wide and up to a foot high. There are not many nest sites in the open country for Swainson’s Hawks, so they use any trees near fields or low mesquite bushes and power poles. They may also eat Burrowing Owls in areas where they are abundant, but they are not fussy and eat anything from snakes and lizards to bats, mice, and rabbits or crickets and dragonflies. If no high points are available, they may be found on the ground in grassland and fields, hunting for insects. Swainson’s Hawks hunt for rodents by perching on any high points, such as utility poles or fences, making them easier to spot in the relatively flat lands where they hunt. May and September are the best times to see these hawks as they migrate long distances and are famous for providing spectacular displays in the tens of thousands of birds during the day. They breed as far as British Columbia and Alaska and in the West from the Pacific to the Midwest. Accessible at Swainson’s Hawks can be found in open country in the West and over the Great Plains in the summer before heading to South America for winter in large flocks, reaching into the thousands. When in flight, you can see the contrast between the black flight feathers on the lower edges of the wings and tips and the white upper part of the wing (called the linings).Ĭredit: Bruce Lagerquist, XC468974. They are usually brown or gray mottled on the back and with lighter bellies and brown or red chests. Swainson’s Hawks are long-winged hawks with short tails and pointed wingtips. They are also migratory birds that spend the breeding season in Alberta, from April to October, then fly south for winter. In summer, Swainson’s Hawks are the second most frequently spotted hawks in Alberta and appear in 12% of checklists. They lay 2-3 whitish, brown-spotted eggs. Nests are high in tall trees, cliff ledges, and sometimes on tall buildings or towers. ![]() Red-tailed Hawks remain resident in the US and Mexico, but those birds in Alaska, Canada, and the northern Great Plains fly south for winter. The high-pitched descending raspy-screech sound of the Red-tailed Hawk is often used in movies for all birds of prey. You can also see them perched on telephone poles. They are also the easiest to spot, often on long car journeys, as they circle slowly over open fields looking for prey such as small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Most Red-tailed Hawks are brown on the back and pale underneath. They are large, with broad, rounded wings. They are migratory birds and are seen in the province for the breeding season, mostly from April to September, then they fly south for winter.Īs their name suggests, Red-tailed Hawks have a distinctive short, wide red tail. In summer, Red-tailed Hawks are the most frequently spotted hawks in Alberta and appear in 15% of checklists submitted by bird watchers. In Alberta, hawks that are more common in summer include the Red-tailed Hawks and Swainson’s Hawks, and hawks that are more common in winter are Rough-legged Hawks. Some of these birds migrate, and some remain all year, and this information is included for each species. This guide will help you identify the species of hawks in Alberta according to avibase and ordered by the number of sighting recorded on ebird. If you enjoy finding out about birds of prey in Alberta then you should check out all the eagles and vultures you can spot here. ![]() To find Hawks head to woodland for the smaller hawks such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk or open grassland, marshes, or high ridges for the larger species. ![]() There are 9 species of hawks recognized on state checklists as regularly occurring in Alberta. Hawks are birds of prey and hunt and eat birds and small mammals, snakes, and frogs. They can see ultraviolet light, which helps them hunt down their prey. ![]()
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