Oregon, a haven for birdwatchers, boasts a stunning array of hawks that grace its skies and landscapes. From the majestic Red-tailed Hawk soaring above open fields to the elusive Northern Goshawk hiding in dense forest canopies, these birds of prey offer a glimpse into the state’s rich biodiversity.
Each species adapts uniquely to Oregon’s varied ecosystems, from coastal areas to the rugged Cascade Range. This article explores the fascinating world of Oregon’s hawks, highlighting their habitats, behaviors, and the vital role they play in maintaining the ecological balance. Join us as we delve into the lives of these impressive raptors that call Oregon home.
1. Red-Tailed Hawk
- Scientific name: Buteo jamaicensis
- Life span: 10-15 years
- Size: 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm)
- Weight: 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g)
- Wingspan: 44.9-52.4 in (114-133 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Breeding and common
The Red-tailed Hawk is a familiar sight across North America, easily identified by its broad, rounded wings and a short, wide tail. Typically, this hawk displays a rich brown back and a pale belly, with its characteristic brick-red tail, which is most vivid in adult birds.
Found in a wide range of habitats from deserts to forests and urban areas, they are often seen perched along roadsides or soaring high on thermals.
Perched high above, the Red-tailed Hawk chooses towering trees or rocky cliffs as its stage. These raptors craft large platforms of sticks, often reused and refurbished over years, softening the interior with bark and fresh foliage each season. Their nesting sites command expansive views, offering a strategic advantage over open fields and forests, a testament to their mastery of their realm.
The Red-tailed Hawk is a formidable predator with a diet as broad as its habitat. It primarily hunts small mammals, such as mice and rabbits, seizing them with its sharp talons. However, its culinary tastes are eclectic, occasionally extending to birds, reptiles, and even carrion. This adaptability in feeding ensures its reign across diverse environments, from rural farmlands to urban parks.
This hawk is a conservation success story, thriving across North America due to its adaptability and generalist diet. Despite historical declines due to pesticide poisoning, it has rebounded beautifully, aided by legal protections and a decrease in harmful pesticides. Today, it stands as a symbol of wildlife resilience, frequently admired and often featured in educational programs.
2. Cooper’s Hawk
- Scientific name: Accipiter cooperii
- Life span: 12 years
- Size: 14.6-15.3 in (37-39 cm)
- Weight: 7.8-14.5 oz (220-410 g)
- Wingspan: 24.4-35.4 in (62-90 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Breeding and common
Frequenting wooded and suburban areas throughout North America, the Cooper’s Hawk is medium-sized with a broad, rounded tail and short rounded wings. Adults have a blue-gray back and a reddish-barred chest, which gives them a fierce appearance as they dart through trees chasing birds and squirrels.
The Cooper’s Hawk opts for leafy deciduous trees or dense pines to support its nesting efforts. The nests, often built within the hidden folds of thick branches, are substantial structures of sticks, softened with strips of bark. Each year, they often return to refurbish their nests, ensuring their young have a secure start.
This hawk’s diet is keenly attuned to the rhythms of the bird populations around it, as it primarily preys on medium-sized birds. Its hunting tactics are a thrilling display of agility and speed, navigating through cluttered tree branches with ease. The Cooper’s Hawk also adjusts its diet with the seasons, including small mammals and insects to complement its avian menu.
The Cooper’s Hawk has navigated a path from being a target of widespread persecution due to its reputation as a poultry raider to a celebrated presence in urban and suburban areas, where its control of pest species is valued. Conservation now focuses on maintaining mature woodland areas crucial for nesting and promoting urban green spaces that support its prey populations.
3. Sharp-Shinned Hawk
- Scientific name: Accipiter striatus
- Life span: 5 years
- Size: 9.4-13.4 in (24-34 cm)
- Weight: 3.1-7.7 oz (87-218 g)
- Wingspan: 16.9-22.1 in (43-56 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Migratory and common
This smallest hawk in North America can be seen flitting through forested areas across the continent. The Sharp-shinned Hawk has a slate-gray back and delicate, barred underparts with thin, sharp wings and a long, narrow tail, which it uses with agility to maneuver through trees. Its presence is often betrayed by a sudden scattering of songbirds.
In the dense cloak of coniferous forests, the Sharp-shinned Hawk builds its secretive home. Preferring the dense canopy as cover, these hawks construct modest nests of twigs and line them with bits of bark and greenery. The location is typically chosen for its obscurity and proximity to potential flight paths of unsuspecting birds—its primary prey.
As the smallest hawk in North America, the Sharp-shinned Hawk preys predominantly on birds, capturing them with bursts of incredible speed and agility. During migration, it cleverly positions itself along routes used by songbirds. This dietary specialization requires a profound knowledge of avian behaviour, making it a skilled but also vulnerable hunter.
Historically impacted by deforestation and the accumulation of pesticides in its food chain, the Sharp-shinned Hawk faces ongoing challenges. Conservation efforts now focus on habitat protection and monitoring bird populations to prevent declines. Bird enthusiasts are encouraged to use bird-friendly glass and other measures to reduce accidents, providing a safer passage for these agile flyers.
4. Rough-Legged Hawk
- Scientific name: Buteo lagopus
- Life span: Up to 15 years
- Size: 18-20 in (46-51 cm)
- Weight: 1.5-3.25 lbs (680-1470g)
- Wingspan: 52-54 inches (132-137 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Migratory and common
Adapted to the arctic and sub-arctic environments of the north, the Rough-legged Hawk migrates south to the open fields and marshes of North America during winter. It exhibits a striking pattern of dark patches against a pale background on its wings and tail.
Perched on fence posts or hovering over fields, it is a picture of resilience against the stark winter landscape.
Breeding in the arctic tundra, the Rough-legged Hawk constructs its nest on the ground or low rock outcroppings, using whatever materials are at hand in the sparse landscape. These nests are simple yet effective, offering protection against the elements and predators.
Their seasonal migration to lower latitudes brings a change of scenery but not strategy, as they adapt their nesting habits to suit their winter environments.
In its arctic home, the Rough-legged Hawk feeds primarily on lemmings and voles, watching patiently from a perch before launching a precise attack. During migration, its diet diversifies to include small birds and insects, showcasing its ability to adapt to different ecosystems and prey availabilities.
The conservation of the Rough-legged Hawk revolves around understanding and mitigating the impacts of climate change on its arctic breeding grounds. Research efforts are geared towards mapping its migration patterns and identifying key wintering habitats to ensure their protection. Conservationists strive to raise awareness about the challenges faced by migratory birds in changing climates.
5. Northern Goshawk
- Scientific name: Accipiter gentilis
- Life span: Up to 15 years
- Size: 24-29 in (61-74 cm)
- Weight: 1.5-3 lbs (680-1360g)
- Wingspan: 45-52 in (114-132 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Breeding and uncommon
The robust Northern Goshawk, the largest of the accipiters, inhabits forests across the Northern Hemisphere. With its bold white eyebrow stripes contrasting against its slate-gray colouring, this hawk has a commanding presence. Known for its fierce demeanour, it reigns over its territory with a watchful eye, rarely visible against the dense woodland backdrop.
The Northern Goshawk, the phantom of the forests, selects large, old-growth trees for its nesting sites. These nests are fortresses in the sky, large and deep, lined with greenery and secluded by thick foliage. Mates often return to the same nest to raise their brood, a yearly ritual of homecoming and recommitment to their chosen territory.
As a top predator, the Northern Goshawk’s diet reflects its dominance. It feeds on a variety of prey, including birds, mammals, and even other raptors. Its hunting style is both a patient wait-and-see and a daring, high-speed chase through the woods. This versatility ensures its status as a master hunter, capable of adapting to changing prey availabilities.
The mystique of the Northern Goshawk, coupled with its need for expansive tracts of old-growth forest, makes it particularly susceptible to habitat loss. Conservation efforts are robust, focusing on protecting these critical habitats and legislating against logging in sensitive areas. Research and tracking movements also help in understanding its ecological needs and adjusting strategies accordingly.
6. Red-Shouldered Hawk
- Scientific name: Buteo lineatus
- Life span: Up to 12 years
- Size: 18-20 inches (45-50 cm)
- Weight: 12-26 ounces (350-740 g)
- Wingspan: 40-48 inches (100-122 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Breeding and rare
This beautifully marked hawk is native to wooded regions of eastern North America. Its striking plumage features a rich, reddish-brown chest and a strongly banded tail and wings. The Red-shouldered Hawk thrives in mixed deciduous forests and is often heard before it’s seen, thanks to its loud, distinctive “kee-rah” call.
The Red-shouldered Hawk selects the wooded wetlands as the backdrop for its nesting saga. Amid the crooked branches of water-loving trees, this hawk builds a platform of sticks, adorned with leafy branches. It’s a meticulous process, ensuring the nest is concealed yet strategically placed for hunting over the water’s edge, where prey abounds.
This hawk has a particular taste for amphibians and reptiles, making the wetlands a perfect dining area. Its diet is supplemented by small mammals and insects, which it captures with precision. The Red-shouldered Hawk uses the water’s edge to its advantage, patiently waiting or swiftly swooping down to snag an unsuspecting frog or snake.
Conservation of the Red-shouldered Hawk focuses intensely on the preservation of wetland habitats, crucial for both its nesting and feeding needs. Environmental regulations and wetland restoration projects have been pivotal in stabilizing its populations. This hawk serves as an important indicator of wetland health, linking its conservation to broader ecological benefits.
7. Swainson’s Hawk
- Scientific name: Buteo swainsoni
- Life span: Up to 15 years
- Size: 18-22 inches (46-56 cm)
- Weight: 1.4-2.4 pounds (650-1,100 g)
- Wingspan: 47-59 inches (119-150 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Migratory and common
Swainson’s Hawk is a long-distance migrant, traveling from the grasslands of North America to the pampas of Argentina. Its appearance changes significantly from a light-morph with creamy underparts and dark chest band to a dark-morph with a uniform chocolate-brown color. This bird is most often seen soaring in wide circles in open areas.
Swainson’s Hawk shows a preference for open spaces, nesting in solitary trees or small groves. These nests are not just homes but vantage points, overlooking fields where these birds can soar and dive after insects and small mammals. The pair works together to build and maintain their nest, strengthening their bond and their claim over their chosen territory.
Unlike many raptors, Swainson’s Hawk has a varied diet that shifts dramatically with the seasons. During breeding season, it primarily eats small mammals, but as it migrates to South America, it switches to a diet almost exclusively of insects. This dietary flexibility is crucial for traversing long distances, allowing it to exploit abundant food sources along its migratory path.
Swainson’s Hawk has been the focus of extensive conservation efforts due to its reliance on specific migratory corridors that are threatened by agricultural development and pesticide use. Conservation strategies include protecting migratory stopover sites and working with farmers to manage pesticides in a way that doesn’t harm these birds. International cooperation is key to preserving this long-distance traveler’s route.
8. Ferruginous Hawk
- Scientific name: Buteo regalis
- Life span: Up to 20 years
- Size: 22-27 inches (56-69 cm)
- Weight: 2.6-4.4 pounds (1.2-2 kg)
- Wingspan: 52-55 inches (132-140 cm)
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Migratory and uncommon
The largest of North America’s open-country hawks, the Ferruginous Hawk has a regal bearing with its wide wings and robust body. It showcases varying colors from light creams to deep rufous, most noticeable around the legs that look like trousers. Commonly seen in the western plains, this hawk prefers open areas where it perches conspicuously on poles or rocks.
The Ferruginous Hawk, with its preference for open prairie lands, often chooses elevated spots like lone trees or rocky outcrops for its nesting sites. In areas with no trees, they will make their nests on the ground instead.
These nests are substantial, constructed with sticks and often lined with cowhide or wool, which provide insulation and comfort. This choice reflects the hawk’s mastery of its environment, ensuring a panoramic view of the surrounding grasslands.
This hawk’s diet is heavily reliant on the rodents that inhabit the prairie ecosystem, such as prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Its hunting technique involves soaring high and then swooping down with breathtaking speed to capture its prey. This diet and hunting style are perfectly suited to the open landscapes it calls home, highlighting its role as a prairie sentinel.
The Ferruginous Hawk faces challenges from habitat destruction due to agricultural expansion and urban development. Conservation efforts are therefore focused on protecting large tracts of prairie, which are essential for its survival. Through land management and legal protection, conservationists aim to maintain the grassland ecosystem, benefiting not only the Ferruginous Hawk but also the entire prairie community.
9. Northern Harrier
- Scientific name: Circus hudsonius
- Life span: 5 – 7 years
- Size: 18-24 in / 45-61 cm
- Weight: 12.3-26.5 oz / 350-750 g
- Wingspan: 40-48 in / 100-122 cm
- Status: Least Concern
- State status: Breeding and common
Unique among hawks for its owl-like facial disk, the Northern Harrier glides low over meadows and marshes across North America. It has a distinctive white rump patch and a slender, long-tailed silhouette. This hawk relies on both sight and sound to hunt, its face directing sounds to its ears, enhancing its ability to detect prey hidden in the vegetation.
Unique among hawks, the Northern Harrier nests on the ground, creating a simple scrape lined with grass and feathers in marshy or grassland areas. This ground-level nesting is facilitated by its exceptional hearing, allowing it to detect predators and prey alike. The choice of a nesting site is influenced by the availability of cover and food, underscoring its connection to the land it patrols.
The Northern Harrier is distinguished by its reliance on a diet of small mammals and birds, which it hunts over open ground using a combination of keen eyesight and hearing. It glides low over fields with its wings held in a distinctive V-shape, dropping suddenly on prey detected by its acute senses. This methodical hunting strategy ensures its success in the open habitats it prefers.
Conservation efforts for the Northern Harrier are crucial, focusing on preserving wetland and grassland habitats that are vital for both nesting and foraging. Challenges such as habitat loss and degradation are met with initiatives aimed at habitat restoration and legal protection. The harrier’s role as a natural pest controller highlights the ecological importance of maintaining healthy populations of this distinctive raptor.
Where to find Hawks in Oregon
In Oregon, the diverse landscapes offer numerous opportunities to observe various hawk species in their natural habitats. For enthusiasts keen to spot these majestic birds of prey, understanding the best locations and methods is key. Coastal areas, river valleys, open grasslands, and forested mountains provide ideal settings for hawk watching. Specific areas known for their hawk populations include:
- Sauvie Island – Located near Portland, this wildlife area is great for viewing wintering hawks such as Red-tailed Hawks and Northern Harriers.
- Klamath Basin – On the southern edge of the state, this area is renowned for its populations of Rough-legged Hawks and other raptors during migration seasons.
- Columbia River Gorge – Offering dramatic landscapes and a wide variety of habitats, this region is a hotspot for observing hawks, especially during migrations.
- Steens Mountain – In southeastern Oregon, this remote area provides opportunities to see Ferruginous Hawks and other species in a less disturbed natural environment.
To increase your chances of sightings, visiting these areas during migration times (spring and fall) can be particularly rewarding. Binoculars and a good field guide are essential tools for hawk watchers, as these birds can often be spotted at a distance.
Conclusion
In Oregon, hawks play a crucial role in the ecosystem, each species adapting uniquely to its surroundings. These birds, from the widespread Red-tailed Hawk to the ground-nesting Northern Harrier, showcase remarkable survival strategies.
Their future depends on effective conservation efforts that tackle habitat loss, climate change, and human impact. Protecting their habitats and enhancing our understanding of their ecological roles are essential. By doing so, we not only preserve these important raptors but also support the overall health of the environment they help maintain.
