By Sherry Easterbrooks, PC EMG Volunteer
Southeastern Virginia hosts a diverse array of birds of prey (Raptors) including hawks, eagles, falcons, harriers, kites, owls, and vultures. Many of these birds can be observed year-round or seasonally near forests, and wetlands. You may also observe some of the smaller hawks and falcons swooping into your backyard bird feeding station.
Late winter and early spring are excellent times to be on the lookout for raptors who over winter in our area. Nesting activities have already begun for the bald eagle and many hawks and owls. Falcons and osprey will begin in March and hawks in April.
Raptors share many common features including the following: hooked beaks for tearing flesh, strong legs and sharp talons for grasping, holding, and in some cases killing their prey, and keen eyesight. While owls predominately hunt at night, all other raptors are diurnal or daytime predators.
Today, people frequently enjoy watching hawks and eagles soaring majestically overhead, it wasn’t that long ago when raptors were wrongly persecuted as “varmints”. Over the years many of these birds faced a variety of threats ranging from deliberate extermination campaigns in which they have been shot, poisoned, and trapped. The widespread use of DDT following World War II further decimated populations of these top predators. The bald eagle, peregrine falcon and osprey were especially hard-hit.
In general, things are looking up for our birds of prey populations. Data indicates that populations of many species are increasing across the US. Osprey have now been de-listed and the bald eagle numbers have increased to the point where it is currently under consideration for federal de-listing from its current threatened status. Though there are other species whose populations continue to decline due to a variety of reasons including habitat loss, and pesticide use.
Virginia is host to several species of hawks; red-tailed, red shouldered, broad winged, Cooper’s, and the Sharp-shinned. Of these, the most prevalent in Virginia, is the Red-tailed Hawk. This is a large stocky hawk with a whitish breast and a rust-colored tail. Weighs between 1.5-3.5 pounds and has a wingspan of 43-55 inches. It is highly adaptable and seems to be comfortable living in a variety of habitats. It is commonly seen perched along roads and interstate highways especially in the winter months. Its diet consists mostly of eating rodents, small mammals such as rabbits, reptiles, and smaller birds.
Another year-round resident is the Sharp-shinned Hawk. It is the smallest bird of prey in Virginia. Weighing in at 3-8 ounces with a wingspan of 16.5-26. Inches. It is incredibly athletic and acrobatic. It is a jay-sized, small, fast flying hawk with long, squared tipped tail, and short, rounded wings. Frequently seen at bird feeders, where it preys on songbirds which make-up 90% of their diet.
The Cooper’s Hawk is a crow-sized hawk with a long tail and short, rounded wings. Slate gray above, finely rust barred below. Similar to the more common, Sharp-shinned hawk but larger, with a tail that is rounded at its tip. Weight: 8-24 ounces. Wingspan: 24 ½ – 35 ½ inches. The Cooper’s Hawk is typically found in VA woods or the edge of fields. It is known for their flying agility which can be observed while watching their high-speed chases through the tree canopy in pursuit of prey. The Cooper’s Hawk has suffered a population decline similar to the Peregrine Falcon. It is now gone from large areas of the eastern deciduous forest.
The Red-shouldered Hawk is a year-round resident in Virginia. It is primarily a forest dweller. It prefers deciduous woodlands, especially where there is standing water. It is a large, long-winged hawk with rust barred underparts, reddish shoulders, and a narrowly banded tail. Weight: 1.1 – 1.9 pounds. Wingspan: 38-42 inches. This hawk has a unique hunting style. When hunting these raptors sit quietly on a low perch, dropping down to capture their prey directly from overhead rather than engaging in the high speed pursuits we often associate with birds of prey.
The Broad-winged Hawk is a crow sized bird. Unlike the other hawks mentioned this one is not a year-round resident. During the winter months it resides in tropical South America, returning to eastern US and southern Canada to breed. This hawk is best known for its spectacular migrations; thousands of birds fly by, with single flocks of up to several hundred individuals, travelling 4,000 miles ( one way) to reach their winter home. Over 19,000 were counted in one day as they passed over the lookout at Hawk Mountain, Pennsylvania.
Other common raptors in Virginia include the Northern Harrier, American Kestrel, and the Bald Eagle.
The American Kestrel, “Sparrow Hawk” is of the Falcon family. Falcons are compact; fast flying diurnal raptors with long, pointed wings. They vary in size from small to quite large in size. They are anatomically well adapted to dashing level flights, twisting maneuvers, and high speed dives in pursuit of live prey. Falcons wingspans range from 22 inches to over 3 feet in length. Falcons have long toes with sharp talons for grasping prey, and hooked, notched beaks for killing and eating them.
The American Kestrel is the most widespread of the species and the smallest in North America. It can be found throughout all but the northern most reaches of North America. Its habitats include pastures, fields, and golf courses. It weighs in at between 2.8-5.8 ounces with a wingspan of 20-24 inches. It preys on insects, small mammals and small birds such as sparrows. It is ferocious and incredibly agile with diving speeds in excess of 200 mph!
The Bald Eagle is one of the larger members of the Eagle/Hawk family. Its weight averages between 6.5-15 pounds with a wingspan of 71-91 inches. While the Bald Eagle was once endangered its numbers re-bounded after the banning of DDT and conservations efforts such as habitat restoration and monitoring programs helped these iconic and gorgeous creatures to recover from the brink of extinction. The Bald Eagle is more into fishing than hunting. It can be seen more frequently near bodies of water. Its vision is 5-8 times better than humans and can also see ultra-violet light. It has the ability to soar to incredible heights where they use their keen eyesight to stalk their prey, before diving at 100 mph to capture their next meal or food for their off-spring. They build massive and impressive nests on cliffs or in tall trees. Their nests can be 4 feet in depth and weigh up to 1 ton. The Bald Eagle like many other birds of prey mate for life.
An interesting feature common to most raptors is the fact that females are most often larger and heavier than males. Known as reverse sexual dimorphism, the disparity between the sexes increases as species’ prey size and speed increases. Biologists believe this allows for greater variety of prey to be captured by mated pairs.
Hunting strategies vary between the different raptor species. Some frequently practice the sit-and-wait style while sitting on a perch. Choosing to perch high on snags tops, and power poles. Some species hunt regularly on the wing. Circle- soaring in a vulture like manner; these raptors hunt while hanging in an updraft. Both Red-tailed Hawks hunt by hovering while actively flapping their wings. Others hunt insects and rodents both from perches and while in flight. Still others such as the Harriers hunt on the wing, cruising close to the ground over flat terrain, wings held in a shallow “V”, face pointed toward the ground in front of them.
The foraging methods of hawks and eagles are as diverse as the species themselves, and all species are somewhat opportunistic, taking advantage of whatever prey is readily available. Many species employ a steep dive known as a “stoop” to surprise their prey. After soaring high above, the hawk simply folds its wings and plummets towards its prey. At the last second the hawk swings its feet forward and swerves to capture the prey.
True falcons are specialized for chasing and catching their prey in flight. They generally use their feet to capture prey in the air or to simply knock prey down; in both cases the large feet and long toes are an advantage, providing a powerful blow and a strong grip.
Many grim forces threaten our raptors. Besides succumbing to electrocution by utility wires and shooting, and having their numbers depleted by habitat loss, they frequently face insidious threats, including new pesticides and new, introduced wildlife diseases.
However, not all the news is bad. The Peregrine Falcon is a example of what successful conservation can accomplish. Other species such as the American Kestrel are surviving in many areas though are vulnerable locally.
If you are interested in learning more about raptors, such as Owls, Osprey, Kites, Harriers and Vultures, check out some of these websites:
• https://birds and wetlands.com/common birds-of-prey virginia
• https://dwr.virginia.gov/wildlife/raptors
• https://www.allabout birds.org/guide/Cornell Lab of ornithology
• Virginia Society of Ornithology
Find us on Facebook: Patrick County Master Gardeners. Contact us at: patrickmastergardeners.org. Tune in to WHEO on Tuesday morning March 24 @ 830 am for more info on Birds of Prey in VA.
