Swainson's Hawk

• Size: 18-26" long // up to 3 pounds
• Diet: ground squirrels, gophers, mice, voles, and rabbits; these opportunistic feeders also eat bats, snakes, lizards, and birds
• Seasonal Habits: Migrate in winter
• Temperament: Aggressive when you near their nest

A classic species of the open country of the Great Plains and the West, Swainson's Hawks soar on narrow wings or perch on fence posts and irrigation spouts. These elegant gray, white, and brown hawks hunt rodents in flight, wings held in a shallow V, or even run after insects on the ground. In fall, they take off for Argentine wintering grounds, one of the longest migrations of any American raptor, forming flocks of hundreds or thousands as they travel.