|
Swainson's Hawk |
|
Buteo swainsoni |
| Description: 18 -22" A large, long-winged hawk with longer more pointed wings than most hawks, soars with wings in shallow V, even brown upperparts, white below with warm-brown breast, tail banded and brown | Habitat: Plains, prairies, arid regions. Nests in shrubs and trees near wetlands and drainage ditches or in windbreaks in fields. Often seen perching on fence posts and telephone poles along the road. Quite tame. |
| Nesting: 2 or 4 white eggs unmarked or light brown spots, on a large clump of dead foliage and sticks in an isolated tree | Range: breeds from Alaska across western US south to Mexico, winters chiefly in tropics but also in Florida |
| Voice: long, drawn out plaintive whistle, kreee | Diet: mostly small vertebrates, snakes, voles, insects, birds |
| Notes: Huge flocks in migration soar to tremendous heights on thermals of warm air, then glide down for great distances to next thermal, gregarious |
| When present in Oklahoma: abundant throughout state during summer months, sparse in winter |