Swainson’s Hawk

Buteo swainsoni

eBird gives this general description of the Swainson’s Hawk:  Longer-winged than Red-tailed Hawk, but otherwise the same size. Found in prairies and agricultural regions of western U.S. and Canada in warm months. Varies in color from rather pale with white belly to completely brown. Light morph is more common with brown breast band contrasting with white throat and belly. In flight from below, note dark primaries and secondaries contrasting with whitish forewing of light morph. Winters in South America and along Pacific coast of Central America. Extremely rare in U.S. in winter.  All About Birds gives this additional descriptive information about the Swainson’s Hawk:  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.

My first encounter with this bird was on April 28, 2018 outside of Deming, New Mexico.  I was visiting an archaeological site called Pony Hills when I spotted the hawk flying close overhead and took a picture.  Here is the hawk I saw that day:

On April 19, 2022 I watched a Swainson’s Hawk perched on a power line.  I was on Highway 60 headed west toward IH25 from Abo Pass when I sighted the bird.