ORDER

Falconiformes (diurnal birds of prey)

FAMILY

Accipitridae (eagles, hawks and kites)

HABITAT AND RANGE

The Harris’ hawk can be found in the semi-open habitats in the southwest US and northwest Mexico. They occupy various habitats from upland deserts dominated by saguaro cactus, to mesquite, palo verde and ironwood woodlands in the Colorado River valley.

IDENTIFICATION

Harris’ hawks are medium sized hawks with mostly brown bodies. The tail feathers have white tips and a white base and the wings can have a reddish undertone. Both sexes have the same color scheme but typical to raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Wingspan is 40-47" and they stand about 20" tall.

DIET

Harris’ hawks are unique to birds of prey in that they hunt cooperatively in family groups. They take turns chasing fast animals such as jackrabbits until their prey is exhausted and is easy to catch. Once a kill is made, all members of the family group will share food with each other. Family groups are usually composed of 5 birds. The groups are headed by a dominant female. This group behavior is similar to that of wolf packs and greatly increases the hunting success of these birds. Other prey species include rodents, snakes and occasionally other birds.

REPRODUCTION AND LIFESPAN

The family groups will also help protect and raise the young. All members of the group will aggressively guard nesting sites from animals that may prey on them as well. Males usually guard the territory while the dominant female usually stays behind to guard the nest. They build their nests in saguaro cacti, mesquite trees and palo verdes at an average height of 5 meters. 2-4 eggs are laid between late February and early March. Females can breed year round and may lay up to 3 clutches a year. Incubation lasts 35 days with both female and male taking turns incubating eggs and caring for the young. Fledging occurs after about 40 days from hatching. Fledglings stay around the nest area for about 2 or 3 months after. Lifespan in the wild is 11-15 years, longer in captivity.

NOTES

Their group hunting behavior allows these animals to take down prey that would normally be too large for an individual hawk to capture. Groups consist of an alpha male and female which are the mating pair. Occasionally a beta male will try to unsuccessfully mate with the alpha female. The other members of the group are usually non-mating juvenile birds. Great horned owls, coyotes and ravens are the main predators to these birds. Harris’ hawks usually fall prey when they are alone and not around their family groups.