1/16/2024 0 Comments Large hawk speciesWatch out if you keep bird feeders in the yard, these guys are well-known for snatching up unsuspecting songbirds. Their long legs, short, round wings, and lengthy tails allow them to fly through dense forests at rapid speeds. Though these hawks may be small, they sure are fast. The best time to catch a glimpse of them is during the fall when they migrate - they can often be the largest groups of raptors around during this time. Sharp-shinned hawks are found year-round in the majority of Kentucky, with a small portion in the west being the exception. Their fully feathered legs are what earned them the name “rough-legged.” Rough-legged hawks typically feature dark-brown and white colorations, though they also occur in light and dark morphs. They share the buteo shape along with the Red-tailed hawk, but with longer, more narrow wings. In the summer they feast upon lemmings in the arctic tundra. They often fly up and face the wind while hunting, hovering and searching for prey like small rodents. In the winter, they migrate south to escape the cold. During the summer they reside in the arctic tundra, hunting and raising their young. You’ll only be able to catch the non-breeding population of Rough-legged hawks in the northern half of Kentucky. Rough-Legged Hawk photo by: DickDaniels | CC 3.0 Be careful to keep a safe distance though, since these defensive hawks are known for attacking people that get too close to their nests.Ĥ. The best chance of seeing them is to head for the woods, as they like to hide out in large, dense sections of forest. Only non-breeding populations are found in Kentucky, and scarcely at that. Northern goshawks are more secretive than a lot of other hawks, making them hard to locate. Their coloration is mostly gray with white stripes above their red-orange eyes. Northern goshawks are closely related to sharp-shinned and cooper’s hawks - except larger and more aggressive. Northern Goshawk photo by: Iosto Doneddu | CC 2.0 They often cruise along mountain ridges and coastlines.ģ. However, if you’re lucky you’ll catch their fall migration, when large flocks, or kettles, of thousands of Broad-wing hawks travel to South America. You may be able to find one by listening for it’s piercing, single-pitched whistle it makes when hunting. They have similar barring as the red-shouldered hawk, but with brown coloration rather than red. These hawks are on the smaller side with stocky bodies and large, reddish heads. ![]() Broad-winged Hawk Broad-winged hawk (Image: Andrew Cannizzaro | CC BY 2.0 | wikicommons)īroad-winged hawks can only be found during breeding season in Kentucky from April to August. This page has even more interesting facts about Red-tailed hawks.Ģ. Listen for their iconic raptor screech - you’ll surely recognize it as the same call used for hawks, and other birds of prey, in most movies and television shows. They often circle high above open pastures and fields, scanning the ground for small mammals to eat. ![]() When in flight you can observe their defined, buteo hawk silhouette broad, rounded wings and short tail. The average weight is around 2 and a half pounds for an adult. Even though they’re large hawks, they don’t weigh much. They feature white, creamy undersides with light, reddish brown markings. Chances are you’ve seen one before - they often perch on tall vantage points like roadside telephone poles. They’re year-round hawks in Kentucky as well as the majority of the country. Red-tailed Hawks are some of the most common hawks in North America. These species include Red-tailed hawks, Broad-winged hawks, Northern goshawks, Rough-legged hawks, Sharp-shinned Hawks, Cooper’s hawks, and Red-shouldered hawks.įor information about them all, such as the best times to look for each kind, keep reading below! 1. ![]() There are 7 types of Hawks in Kentucky you might find. You can find both kinds of hawks in Kentucky, and in this article we’re going to cover them all. They’re medium-sized to large birds of prey that generally belong to two distant categories - accipiters and buteos. Hawks are widely distributed throughout the United States and the rest of North America.
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