In greater Tucson and Pima County, we are blessed to see several different hawks over the course of the year. In the winter months, we will see a wider variety but, in the winter of 2014, for example, the warmer weather probably has reduced the wider variation seen in other years.
Three of the hawks we see, here in the Sonoran Desert most often, are the Red Tailed Hawk, the Cooper’s Hawk, and the Harris Hawk. Each has its own personality, behavior and range.
The Red Tailed Hawk is a large hawk found all over the US and is probably the most prevalent hawk you will see soaring as you drive. Their name comes from the red on the underside of their tail feathers that develops as they mature. I rarely get calls from a homeowner or business owner to capture and relocate them because they hunt in the open and attack from above. Where 1st Response Wildlife does get involved in Ret Tailed Hawk calls is primarily to help rescue one that is injured or a young bird that has, for some reason an undeveloped wing that, will not allow the hawk to develop and survive.
The one pictured below is a gorgeous specimen that cannot fend for itself because one of its wings has not developed and has become an educational bird that is living at Forever Wild-a rehabilitation center just south of Tucson.
The Cooper’s Hawk is a medium sized hawk and is easily distinguished, at rest and in flight, by its shorter wing span and longer tail. This hawk is very fast and able to maneuver to catch pigeons, doves, and other birds in flight. In fact, if you have a bird feeder, you have or will see a Cooper’s Hawk visit and probably attempt to prey on the larger birds from time to time. This hawk’s range is from southern Canada to northern Mexico and you will see them all over this region. 1st Response Wildlife does get calls to help capture and release Cooper’s Hawks from businesses and other locations where they may have chased a bird into a warehouse or structure and then find they cannot figure out how to exit. Because they are so focused on their prey, they will sometimes hit structures and injure themselves, fly into buildings, and need to be rehabilitated. I have even had customers report seeing them attached by a bobcat from below and behind when they were sitting on a homeowner’s wall looking at doves in a tree. For those injured, I find that taking them to a rehabilitation center, like Forever Wild, allows them to be inspected, treated and then, if possible released back into the wild. For those I capture in structures, garages, and warehouses, after inspection, if they are unhurt, a simple release allows them to return to a life of freedom. The Cooper’s Hawk below is currently one that Forever Wild is rehabbing for release.
One of my favorite hawks of the Sonoran Desert is the Harris Hawk. These are large Hawks and are only found in the Southwest US-AZ, NM, Texas, Southern CA and south to Argentina. They feed on larger animals like ground squirrels, rabbits, reptiles, and ground birds like quail and partridge. What makes them unique is that they are one of only two raptors that live and hunt as a family. In and around Tucson and the Sonoran Desert, you will see them in family groups of between 3 and 8. They cooperate in catching their prey much like coyotes or wolves hunt, driving their prey toward another family member and spelling each other as the chase evolves. You will often see them together on a tree limb or electric power poll sitting close and even on top of each other and frequently exchanging places. In fact, one of the more common causes of death for these hawks is that they will land on top of each other on an unprotected electric wire and one will fall off, hit a wire, make a connection and get electrocuted. The Harris Hawk family is matriarchal, where the dominant female is in charge. They tend to find a territory and, if prey is plentiful, you will see them frequently. 1st Response Wildlife gets few calls for relocation of the Harris Hawk. Most calls are for an injured bird which will result in a stint at a rehabber where it is nursed back to health. As mentioned above, because these birds are territorial and somewhat friendly to humans, it is not uncommon for a Harris Hawk to be nursed back to health, released in the wild, and then adopt the territory of the respective rehabber as part of its new home. Below are two pictures of Harris Hawks. The first is one that has an injured wing and will remain as an educational bird by the rehabber, Forever Wild. The second is a rehabbed and released to the wild, Harris Hawk that has adopted, as part of its territory, an area around where it was rehabbed and can be seen often, returning to hunt in the area of its adopted human family.
For a great experience in having an opportunity to see these and other hawks in flight and up close, be sure to make time to check when the raptor demonstrations take place at theArizona Sonora Desert Museum. They schedule a raptor demonstration that exposes visitors to several types of Hawks and, in addition to seeing them in their structures, the Hawks are, during demonstrations, released to fly overhead, land close by, and accept food from the docents.
If you have a Coopers Hawk in one of your structures, find any injured Hawk on your property or close by, please consider giving 1st Response Wildlife a call and I will work with you to humanely accommodate capture, inspect, and either transport it to a rehabber or release it back into the wild.
Thanks for considering 1st Response Wildlife
Josh's Cell (24/7 Hours): 520-260-9517
Josh Waling is a humane Licensed Animal Trapper who catches and releases wildlife, removing animals including bobcats (lince), snakes, rattlesnakes (serpiente de cascabel), raccoons (mapache), pack rats, gila monsters (monstruos de gila), rabbits (canejo), owls, bats, hawks, squirrels (ardilla), coatimundi (gato solo), skunks (mofeta), exotics, and domestic cats and dogs. He delivers service that is professional and fast and he is available 24/7. Give him a call the next time you hear unusual noises in the attic or crawl spaces in your home or if you see wildlife eating your vegetation, creating nests, and raising their young too close to your pets or children or have an exotic sighting in your neighborhood. 520-260-9517 Thanks!
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