Ferruginous Hawk

The ferruginous hawk is a large raptor found in the western plains of North America. They are a member of the buteo genus of hawks. Buteos are soaring hawks that are distinguished by their long wings and short tails. They ferruginous hawks are the largest hawk in North America and the second largest buteo in the world.

The common name ferruginous comes from the Latin word ferrgin which roughly means iron rust. This is of course in reference to their rusty red colored feathers. The ferruginous hawk is one of only three North American raptors, other than owls, that have feathers that extend down their legs to their toes. The other two raptors are the rough-legged hawk and the golden eagle.

Ferruginous Hawk

 The ferruginous hawk is a large hawk that lives in the central plains of the United States. They are the largest species of buteo, soaring hawks, living in North America. They are fairly easy to identify because of their size, large mouth, and their rusty red color. The color is where they get the common name ferruginous from. It is a variation on the Latin word ferrgin which means iron rust.

The ferruginous hawk is one of only three diurnal raptors in North America that have feathers that reach all the way to their feet. The other two species, the rough-legged hawk and the golden eagle, have ranges that are further north or in higher elevations than the ferruginous. The breeding range of the ferruginous only extends into southern Canada with many of the birds breeding in the northern half of the range migrating to the southwestern U.S. and Mexico for the winter.

Ferruginous Hawk

 The ferruginous hawk is a large hawk that is found primarily in the open central grasslands of western North America. The name ferruginous probably comes from the Latin word ferrgin which means iron rust, and has to do with the reddish brown coloration of these hawks. They are members of the genus Buteo which are the hawks that are designed for soaring, with long wings and shorter tail.

The ferruginous hawks is the largest hawk in North America. They live in arid and semi arid grasslands. Their primary source of food are mammals, at 80-90%. Typical prey includes mice, ground squirrels, prairie dogs and jackrabbits. They will also eat snakes, lizards, and birds. They nest from southern Canada in the north to New Mexico and Arizona in the south and from Washington and Oregon in the west to the Dakotas and Nebraska in the east. During the winter birds in the northern portions of the breeding range head down into the southwestern United States and Mexico. Although they spend most of their time in warmer climates they are one of only 2 species of hawks in North America with feathers that extend down to their feet. The other species is the rough-legged hawk which is a species found mostly in the north.

Camera Critters: Ferruginous Hawk

Even though I am not really a bird lister and do not technically keep a life list, I do keep track of each new type of bird that I see and photograph. On our trip to Snake River and Yellowstone this year we were able to get pictures of several new types of birds.
One of the most exciting new birds that we photographed were the ferruginous hawks that were nesting out at Snake River Birds of Prey NCA. The ferruginous hawk is the largest hawk in North America with a wingspan of around four and a half feet and a weight of about two to four and a half pounds.

Ferruginous hawks are found in the western plains of the United States and parts of southern Canada. Their preferred habitat is unbroken grasslands with scattered trees and rock outcroppings. They hunt in several different ways but seem to prefer to attack their prey in a low skimming approach. Their food source consists mainly of rabbits and diurnal rodents, such as ground squirrels.

Because of the high quantity prey, mostly ground squirrels, that can be found in the area the Snake River Birds of Prey NCA has about 800 falcons, hawks, eagles and owls that nest in the area each year. Ferruginous hawks begin to nest in late April, in the southern part of their range, or May, for the rest of the range. The build stick nests in large trees, rock outcroppings or in transmission towers, as was the case with most of the nests that we saw at Snake River. In the past when bison roamed the area nest often included bison bones. The same nest is often used year after year with the nesting pair adding on to the nest each year, the same as bald eagles.