Did you know Texas is home to over 15 hawks? It’s a top spot for birdwatching in the U.S. As we explore Texas, the variety of hawks we see is amazing. Each hawk species offers a chance to see their unique looks and behaviors.
This article takes you on a visual tour of Texas’s hawks. We’ll share insights into their homes and traits. We aim to spark your interest in Texas’s wildlife and deepen your knowledge of these magnificent birds.
1. Red-shouldered Hawk
- Scientific name – Buteo lineatus
- Lifespan – 25 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 16.9 to 24 in
- Weight – 17.1 to 27.3 oz
- Wingspan – 37 to 43.7 in
The Red-shouldered Hawk is a common sight in Texas, especially in the eastern and southern parts. It’s known for its reddish-brown shoulders and unique pattern. This makes it easy to spot for those who love bird watching.
These hawks live in wooded areas near water and hunt from low spots. They eat small mammals, amphibians, and reptiles with great skill. This shows how well they adapt to Texas’s diverse habitats, living in both rural and city areas.
When they’re looking for a mate, Red-shouldered Hawks make loud, clear calls. These calls help them find a partner and mark their territory. Seeing a pair of these hawks during nesting season is a special experience for bird watchers.
In summary, the Red-shouldered Hawk is known for its beauty and loud calls. If you want to see this bird, try watching in the early morning or late afternoon. These are the best times to see their active behaviors in the sky.
2. Red-tailed Hawk
- Scientific name – Buteo jamaicensis
- Lifespan – 30 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 17.7 to 25.6 in
- Weight – 24.3 to 51.5 oz
- Wingspan – 44.9 to 52.4 in
The Red-tailed Hawk is a standout among Texas raptors, known for its reddish-brown tail and strong build. It thrives in open fields, soaring high and watching the ground below. Learning to identify this hawk makes birdwatching in Texas more exciting.
Identification Tips and Calls
Knowing how to spot a Red-tailed Hawk can boost our birdwatching skills. Here are some tips to help:
- Plumage: Adults have brown and white feathers, a pale chest, and a reddish tail. Young ones have more mottled feathers and a banded tail.
- Size: These hawks are big, measuring 18 to 26 inches long, with a wingspan of 45 to 52 inches.
- Soaring Behavior: Look for their soaring flight, often using thermal updrafts to stay aloft while hunting.
- Vocalizations: Their call is a loud, raspy scream that can be heard for miles, making it easy to identify.
To see Red-tailed Hawks, visit Texas’s grasslands, fields, and wooded areas. These places offer great hunting spots for this skilled hunter, who mainly eats small mammals.
The Red-tailed hawks is crucial to the ecosystem, controlling rodent populations and helping our natural environments stay healthy. Learning to identify this hawk deepens our love for Texas’s wildlife.
Hawks in other Regions:
3. Harris’s Hawk
- Scientific name – Parabuteo unicinctus
- Lifespan – 15 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 18.1 to 23.2 in
- Weight – 18.2 to 31 oz
- Wingspan – 40.5 to 46.9 in
The Harris’s Hawk is a standout among Texas birds of prey for its social behavior. These birds often hunt in groups, showing off their teamwork. This teamwork boosts their hunting success and helps them adapt to different environments.
These hawks have impressive diets, mainly eating small mammals and birds. Their group hunting makes them a hit with birdwatchers. They also build communal nests, where multiple pairs raise their young together.
But, Harris’s Hawks face big challenges like losing their homes and less food. Knowing about these issues helps us understand why we need to protect them. Birdwatchers will find seeing a group of Harris’s Hawks in action very exciting.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Social Structure | Hunts in small groups, enhancing hunting efficiency. |
| Diet | Primarily feeds on small mammals and birds. |
| Nesting | Builds communal nests, fostering group cooperation. |
| Challenges | Faces habitat loss and food scarcity. |
| Birdwatcher Appeal | A thrilling sight when observed in action as social hunters. |
4. Sharp-shinned Hawk
- Scientific name – Accipiter striatus
- Lifespan – 12 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 9.4 to 13.4 in
- Weight – 3.1 to 7.7 oz
- Wingspan – 16.9 to 22.1 in
The Sharp-shinned Hawk is a skilled hunter among small raptors. It moves quickly through dense trees and shrubs, catching other birds in mid-air. These Hawks birds of Texas are hard to see because of their size and behavior. Yet, it’s a key part of Texas wildlife.
Feeding Habits and Breeding Behavior
Sharp-skinned hawks mainly eat small songbirds. They catch them in flight with great speed and accuracy. Their ability to move through tight spaces helps them hunt in wooded areas. Birdwatchers can see their hunting skills in spring when they start nesting.
They build nests in tree branches, using sticks and greenery. The male performs aerial displays to attract females during the breeding season. After mating, the female lays three to six eggs. Both parents incubate them.
These birds prefer wooded habitats and have unique nesting behaviors. This sets them apart from larger hawks.
Knowing about the Sharp-shinned Hawk helps us understand our local ecosystems better. By seeing their role in Texas wildlife, we learn about the health of bird populations in their habitats.
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Size | Small, 10-14 inches long |
| Diet | Primarily small birds |
| Nesting Habits | Build nests in trees, using sticks and foliage |
| Breeding Season | Spring |
| Incubation Period | About 30 days |
| Habitat Preference | Wooded areas with good cover |
5. Cooper’s Hawk
- Scientific name – Accipiter cooperii
- Lifespan – 20 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 14.6 to 17.7 in
- Weight – 7.8 to 24 oz
- Wingspan – 24.4 to 35.4 in
The Cooper’s Hawks of Texas is a true marvel of adaptability, living in both city and countryside across Texas. It’s a standout among adaptable raptors for its skill in moving through different environments. This makes it a common bird for those who enjoy birding in Texas.
Identifying the Cooper’s Hawk is easy with its unique look. It has a slim body, rounded wings, and a long tail that helps it fly with agility. Adults show a mix of gray and reddish-brown feathers, blending well in wooded areas while hunting.
The Cooper’s Hawks of Texas is a master of hunting speed and agility. It surprises its prey, usually small birds, as they try to escape through the trees or leaves. This hunting method shows its important role in keeping bird populations in check.
6. White-tailed Hawk
- Scientific name – Geranoaetus albicaudatus
- Lifespan –12 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 18.1 to 20.5 in
- Weight – 31 to 43.6 oz
- Wingspan – 50.4 to 51.6 in
The White-tailed Hawks of Texas is a large raptor characterized by its long, broad wings. Its underparts, including the tail with a dark band near the tip, are white, while the primaries are dark and the inner wing is white. The upper body is dark with chestnut shoulder patches, and the head is gray. This hawk’s call is a high-pitched whine followed by a two-note series.
White-tailed Hawks build their nests in low trees and shrubs in open, water-adjacent areas. Constructed from sticks, grasses, and forbs, the nest supports a clutch of two to three eggs, which the female incubates for 29 to 32 days. The young fledge after 47 to 53 days.
Feeding almost exclusively on mammals, the White-tailed Hawk’s diet also includes crustaceans, large insects, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and carrion. Its prey encompasses a variety of animals such as shrews, mice, rats, pocket gophers, rabbits, doves, rails, meadowlarks, prairie chickens, ducks, chickens, crickets, grasshoppers, and crayfish.
7. Ferruginous Hawk
- Scientific name – Buteo regalis
- Lifespan – 23 years (maximum recorded)
- Size – 22.1 to 27.2 in
- Weight – 34.5 to 73.2 oz
- Wingspan – 52.4 to 55.9 in
The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest hawk found in Texas. This broad-winged raptor features a chestnut-colored back, dark upper wings, a pale tail, and white-streaked primary feathers. Its underside is predominantly white, marked by rusty patches on the cover and rusty legs. The call of this hawk resembles that of a gull.
Ferruginous Hawks are versatile in their nesting habits, choosing trees, cliffs, artificial structures, shrubs, boulders, and even haystacks. They often build their nests atop those previously used by other species. Constructed from sticks, twigs, plastic, bones, and metal scraps, the nest is lined with bark pieces, sod, or dung. Females typically lay up to eight eggs per clutch. The incubation period lasts 32 to 33 days, and the chicks fledge after 38 to 50 days in the nest.
The diet of Ferruginous Hawks mainly consists of mammals such as rabbits, pocket gophers, prairie dogs, ground squirrels, and hares, though they occasionally consume birds, amphibians, reptiles, and insects.
This species is not currently of conservation concern, with its population increasing by nearly 1% annually over the past fifty years. The total breeding population is estimated at around 110,000 individuals. However, Ferruginous Hawks face threats from agricultural practices, mining, overgrazing, pesticides, and fire.
8. Grey Hawk
- Scientific name – Buteo plagiatus
- Lifespan – Unknown
- Size – 18.1 to 24 in (46 to 61 cm)
- Weight – 16.8 oz (475 g)
- Wingspan – 35 in (88.9 cm)
The Grey Hawk is a medium-sized raptor distinguished by its short, rounded wings and long tail. Its overall plumage is grey, with a paler grey head and finely barred chest. The tail features black and white bands. This hawk’s call is a distinctive three-note whistle.
Grey Hawks typically nest in the upper branches of cottonwood trees, often near rivers, but they also use oak, willow, ash, and walnut trees. Their nests are constructed with leafy twigs and lined with leaves—primarily from cottonwood and willow—and bark pieces. The female lays between one and four eggs per clutch, incubating them for 32 to 34 days, while the nestling period lasts about 42 days.
The Grey Hawk’s diet is predominantly composed of reptiles, including horned lizards, spiny lizards, tree lizards, whip snakes, and garter snakes. They also occasionally consume birds, small mammals, amphibians, and insects.
Top Birdwatching Locations for Hawks in Texas
Texas is a paradise for birdwatchers, especially those who love to see hawks. The state boasts exceptional birdwatching spots, including protected areas and diverse sites perfect for hawk sightings. Let’s explore some top places to see these magnificent birds and the environments they call home.
Protected Areas and Birding Sites
Top spots for hawk watching include Big Bend National Park and Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge. Each spot offers unique habitats that draw different hawk species:
- Big Bend National Park: Vast landscapes and canyons make it great for spotting Red-tailed Hawks.
- Laguna Atascosa National Wildlife Refuge: A wetland area ideal for seeing Harris’s Hawks.
- Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge: Known for its diverse habitats and various raptors.
- Texas Parks & Wildlife Sites: Many state parks and wildlife areas are great for hawk-watching.
Best Times for Hawk Spotting
Timing is key in birdwatching, especially for hawks. Here are the best times for spotting them:
| Time of Year | Best Locations | Notable Species |
|---|---|---|
| Fall Migration (September – November) | Texas Gulf Coast | Sharp-shinned Hawk, Cooper’s Hawk |
| Winter (December – February) | Panhandle and West Texas | Ferruginous Hawk, Red-tailed Hawk |
| Spring Migration (March – May) | Central Texas | Osprey, Swainson’s Hawk |
Conclusion
As we finish our look at Texas hawks, it’s clear these birds are truly special. They show us the beauty of birds in our state. From the adaptable Cooper’s Hawk to the social Harris’s Hawk, each one is unique.
These birds have their own special traits that make watching them exciting. Knowing where they live helps us appreciate their role in nature even more.
