BIRDS OF PREY COMMONLY SEEN NEAR COMMUNITY ROOTS ACADEMY CHARTER SCHOOL (ALSIO VIEJO AND LAGUNA NIGUEL)
Accipiters (forest hawks) and Buteos (grassland hawks). Kites are also in this family.
RED SHOULDERED HAWK
Medium size
Reddish breast and belly
Long rounded tail
Long broad wings, wider at the center with rounded wing tips.
Resides all year in California
Quick Identification tips:
· In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the Red shouldered hawk at a distance
· Flaps with fast stiff wing beats with a gliding pattern.
· One of the only hawks that hunts from a perch, fence post or telephone pole.
· Return to the same nests and locations year after year
COOPERS HAWK
Crow sized
Very long tail
Common residents in Orange County all year
Wide band at end of tail
Perpendicular rounded wings
Quick Identification tips:
· Rarely soar
· Loud “Cach cach” voice
· A small long tailed hawk using first seen chasing small birds
· Rounder tail end with wide white tip
SHARP SHINNED HAWK
Pigeon or jay sized
Short round wings
Common small hawk
Often seen swooping on small birds
Often seen more often in the fall and winter
Hunt for food early in the morning
Quick Identification tips:
· Pairs fly in circles and land near beside each other (unlike other hawks)
· Flap and glide fliers
· Heavily barred tail
· Square tail end with narrow white tip
NORTHERN HARRIER
Also called a Marsh Hawk
Most common in the winter
Medium sized hawk
Slim body and long tail
Long wings
Yellow eyes and dark bill
Quick Identification tips:
· Owl like face
· Unusual flight pattern: retraces path several times flying low with slow “lazy” wing beats.
· Easy to indentify because the they glide just above the ground
· Northern Harriers will actually perch on the ground
· Often seen around marshes
WHITE TAILED KITE
Small bird of prey
White tail, head, chest and belly
Grey back
In flight, tail is long and narrow
Quick Identification tips:
· Small white hawk
· Hovers in same place rapidly flapping wings
· When it spots a rodent it parachutes down with its wings held high
Accipiters (forest hawks) and Buteos (grassland hawks). Kites are also in this family.
RED SHOULDERED HAWK
Medium size
Reddish breast and belly
Long rounded tail
Long broad wings, wider at the center with rounded wing tips.
Resides all year in California
Quick Identification tips:
· In flight, translucent crescents near the wingtips help to identify the Red shouldered hawk at a distance
· Flaps with fast stiff wing beats with a gliding pattern.
· One of the only hawks that hunts from a perch, fence post or telephone pole.
· Return to the same nests and locations year after year
COOPERS HAWK
Crow sized
Very long tail
Common residents in Orange County all year
Wide band at end of tail
Perpendicular rounded wings
Quick Identification tips:
· Rarely soar
· Loud “Cach cach” voice
· A small long tailed hawk using first seen chasing small birds
· Rounder tail end with wide white tip
SHARP SHINNED HAWK
Pigeon or jay sized
Short round wings
Common small hawk
Often seen swooping on small birds
Often seen more often in the fall and winter
Hunt for food early in the morning
Quick Identification tips:
· Pairs fly in circles and land near beside each other (unlike other hawks)
· Flap and glide fliers
· Heavily barred tail
· Square tail end with narrow white tip
NORTHERN HARRIER
Also called a Marsh Hawk
Most common in the winter
Medium sized hawk
Slim body and long tail
Long wings
Yellow eyes and dark bill
Quick Identification tips:
· Owl like face
· Unusual flight pattern: retraces path several times flying low with slow “lazy” wing beats.
· Easy to indentify because the they glide just above the ground
· Northern Harriers will actually perch on the ground
· Often seen around marshes
WHITE TAILED KITE
Small bird of prey
White tail, head, chest and belly
Grey back
In flight, tail is long and narrow
Quick Identification tips:
· Small white hawk
· Hovers in same place rapidly flapping wings
· When it spots a rodent it parachutes down with its wings held high
