HARRIS’S HAWK
(Parabuteo unicinctus)
eBird gives this description of a Harris’s Hawk: Dark hawk found in deserts and scrubby open woodland. Brown overall with bright rufous shoulders and thighs. Tail black with white tip and white base. Immatures have variable white markings on underparts. Unique among raptors for its social behavior; nests and hunts in groups. Feeds on mammals. All About Birds provides this additional descriptive information about the Harris’s Hawk: A handsome hawk of the arid Southwest, Harris’s Hawk is a standout with bold markings of dark brown, chestnut red, and white; long yellow legs; and yellow markings on its face. The most social of North American raptors, these birds cooperate at nests and hunt together as a team. When hunting, a group of hawks surround their prey, flush it for another to catch, or take turns chasing it. This hawk’s social nature and relative ease with humans has made it popular among falconers and in education programs.
I saw my first Harris’s Hawk near the intersection of Palmito Hill Road and Boca Chica Boulevard. As I turned onto Palmito Hill Road, I got a glimpse of a large bird in flight that I thought was a hawk, but I could not photograph or identify it. About thirty minutes later, as I returned to Boca Chica Boulevard after driving Palmito Hill Road, I saw a large bird perched on a wire. It was being harrassed by Mockingbirds, so it didn’t stay long! I got a few poor photos, but they will have to do until the next time I am fortunate enough to come across a Harris’s Hawk.
“Cool Facts” About The Harris’s Hawk From All About Birds…
- Cooperatively hunting groups of Harris’s Hawks are more successful at capturing prey than individuals hunting alone. Hawks with more than two members in their group have higher survival rates.
- Although most North American Harris’s Hawks nest in spring (March through June), some females lay a second and even a third clutch regardless of whether their first breeding attempt fails or succeeds. Eggs or young have been recorded in every month of the year. Multiple clutches often occur when plentiful food is available.
- Older nestlings and subadults sometimes seem to play by chasing insects or jumping on sticks in an imitation of prey capture.
- Electrocution from unshielded power poles is a danger to Harris’s Hawks—they can be killed or lose limbs—but other members of the group sometimes come to the aid of injured individuals, providing them with food.
- The Harris’s Hawk nests in social units that vary from a single adult pair to as many as seven individuals, including both adults and immatures.
- The oldest known wild Harris’s Hawk was a male, and at least 15 years old when he was retrapped and rereleased during banding operations in New Mexico in 2001. The oldest known captive bird was a female that in 2018 was 33 years old and living at the Freedom Center for Wildlife in New Jersey.