Ferruginous Hawk

• Size: 22-27" long // 52-56" wingspan
• Diet: rabbits, hares, ground squirrels, prairie dogs, and pocket gophers
• Seasonal Habits: Migrate in winter
• Temperament: Aggressive when you near their nest

Found in prairies, deserts, and open range of the West, the regal Ferruginous Hawk hunts from a lone tree, rock outcrop, or from high in the sky. This largest of North American hawks really is regal, its species name is "regalis" with a unique gray head, rich, rusty (ferruginous) shoulders and legs, and gleaming white underparts. A rarer dark-morph is reddish-chocolate in color. Ferruginous Hawks eat a diet of small mammals, sometimes standing above prairie dog or ground squirrel burrows to wait for prey to emerge.