Northern Harriers are slender with long broad wings and are between the size of a crow and a goose. They often fly with the tips of their wings higher than their bodies in a v-shape.įemales are brown, and males are gray above and white below, and they have a white rump patch.Ĭredit: James Bradley, XC326879. They are recorded in 8% of winter checklists, and then they fly north for the breeding season. Northern Harriers are the second most frequently spotted hawks in Washington.Īlthough some remain in the state all year and are recorded in 3% of summer checklists, they are more commonly spotted during winter, from September to April. They lay 2-3 whitish, brown-spotted eggs. ![]() Nests are high in tall trees, cliff ledges, and sometimes on tall buildings or towers. Red-tailed Hawks remain resident in the US and Mexico, but those birds in Alaska, Canada, and the northern Great Plains fly south for winter. The high-pitched descending raspy-screech sound of the Red-tailed Hawk is often used in movies for all birds of prey. You can also see them perched on telephone poles. They are also the easiest to spot, often on long car journeys, as they circle slowly over open fields looking for prey such as small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Most Red-tailed Hawks are brown on the back and pale underneath. They are large, with broad, rounded wings. Their numbers increase during winter, from November to March, due to birds flying in from breeding grounds further north and increasing the population of resident birds.Īs their name suggests, Red-tailed Hawks have a distinctive short, wide red tail. Red-tailed Hawks are the most frequently spotted hawks in Washington, and they appear in 14% of summer checklists and 21% of winter checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state. There are 11 species of Hawk in Washington: In Washington, hawks that are more common in summer include the Swainson’s Hawks, and hawks that are more common in winter are the Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers. Some of these birds migrate, and some remain all year, and this information is included for each species. This guide will help you identify the species of hawks in Washington according to avibase and ordered by the number of sighting recorded on ebird. If you enjoy finding out about birds of prey in Washington then you should check out all the eagles and vultures you can spot here. To find Hawks head to woodland for the smaller hawks such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk or open grassland, marshes, or high ridges for the larger species. There are 10 species of hawks recognized on state checklists as regularly occurring in Washington, and an additional species is considered rare or accidental. ![]() Hawks are birds of prey and hunt and eat birds and small mammals, snakes, and frogs. They can see ultraviolet light, which helps them hunt down their prey.
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