Nebraska Bird Partnership

Ferruginous Hawk (Buteo regalis)

Listen to Ferruginous Hawk from the Ohio Digital Resource Commons

Description

Large and heavy with long pointed wings and large bill. Displays a light patch on upper primaries, has white wrist marks, or "commas" as they are called above and the primaries are light and black-tipped below; dark morph has whitish underparts with a dark V formed by the legs. Has a pale head and a rusty body above and rusty legs.

Habitat

Open country; primarily large tracts of prairie plains and badlands. Known to breed in trees near streams or on steep slopes, sometimes on mounds in open grasslands. In Nebraska this hawk has been observed in the shortgrass prairie with rock outcrops or scattered trees. It is most common in the western Sandhills and Panhandle during breeding season, observed in the western two-thirds of Nebraska in winter and migration, very rarely in the east.

Food

Primarily small mammals including rabbits, ground squirrels, and prairie dogs.

Behavior

This Buteo is commonly seen soaring or perching on poles or the ground.

Status in Nebraska

S1: Critically Imperiled                    NBP Priority, BCRs 18 and 19                    NNLP Tier 1

Where to see it in Nebraska

Large tracts of prairie in the Panhandle, such as Kimball Grasslands, Oglala National Grassland, Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Area. Wildcat Hills and Pine Ridge areas. In winter, more common south, but present throughout the western two-thirds of Nebraska in open country, commonly associated with prairie dog towns.

Similar looking species

Red-tailed hawk, Rough-legged hawk

Note the bare tarsi (lower legs), one of the features that distinguish this Red-tailed Hawk from a Ferruginous Hawk

Fun Facts

•    Largest American hawk; Before the elimination of bison in the West, nests of the Ferruginous Hawk were often partially constructed of bison bones and wool.

•    The Rough-legged Hawk, the Ferruginous Hawk, and the Golden Eagle are the only American hawks to have legs feathered all the way to the toes.

•    The Ferruginous Hawk can nest in trees and on the ground. The tree nests have larger clutch size than ground nests.

Additional Photos of the Ferruginous Hawk