Welcome to ImagesOfWildLife - Nature Photography by Mark & A.J. Serfass : Animals : Raptors: Owls, Hawks & Falcons

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Raptors: Owls, Hawks & Falcons Galleries

North American Kestrel (female) : From Wikipedia: The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest falcon in North America - about the size of an American Robin. This bird was (and sometimes still is) colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implied a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated - the latter is a accipiter hawk rather than a falcon; moreover, falcons and accipiters are only very distantly related among the diurnal raptors.
American Kestrels are widely distributed across the Americas. Their breeding range extends from central and western Alaska across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America, into central Mexico, the Baja, and the Caribbean. They are local breeders in Central America and are widely distributed throughout South America.
Most of the birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate south in the winter, although some males stay as year-round residents. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

North American Kestrel (female)

American Kestrel (male) : From Wikipedia: The American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) is the smallest falcon in North America - about the size of an American Robin. This bird was (and sometimes still is) colloquially known in North America as the "Sparrow Hawk". This name is misleading because it implied a connection with the Eurasian Sparrowhawk Accipiter nisus, which is unrelated - the latter is a accipiter hawk rather than a falcon; moreover, falcons and accipiters are only very distantly related among the diurnal raptors.
American Kestrels are widely distributed across the Americas. Their breeding range extends from central and western Alaska across northern Canada to Nova Scotia, and south throughout North America, into central Mexico, the Baja, and the Caribbean. They are local breeders in Central America and are widely distributed throughout South America.
Most of the birds breeding in Canada and the northern United States migrate south in the winter, although some males stay as year-round residents. It is a very rare vagrant to western Europe.

American Kestrel (male)

Broad-Winged Hawk : From Wikipedia: The Broad-winged Hawk, (Buteo platypterus), is a small hawk of the Buteo genus. During the summer they are distributed over most of eastern North America, to as far west as the Alberta province and Texas; they then migrate south to winter in the neotropics from Mexico down to Southern Brazil.
Adult birds range in size from 34 to 45 cm (13 to 18 in), weigh from 265 to 560 g (9.4 oz to 1.2 lbs) and have a wingspan from 81 to 100 cm (32 to 40 in). As in most raptors, females are slightly larger than males. Adults have dark brown upperparts and evenly-spaced black and white bands on the tail. Light morph birds are pale on the underparts and underwing and have thick cinnamon bars across the belly. The light morph is most likely to be confused with the Red-shouldered Hawk, but that species has a longer, more heavily barred tail and the barred wings and solid rufous color of adult Red-shoulders are usually distinctive. Dark morph birds are a darker brown on both upperparts and underparts. They are much less common than the light-coloured variant. Dark morph Short-tailed Hawks are similar but are whitish under the tail with a single subterminal band. The wings are relatively short, broad and have a tapered, somewhat pointed appearance unique to this species.
At all times, Broad-winged Hawks inhabit forested areas, with even migratory birds choosing only wooded areas to roost in. They are seemingly indifferent to the type of forest used either for breeding or wintering. These birds hunt by sitting on a perch and watching for prey, and have been described as "cat-like" while stalking. When prey becomes apparent, they swoop down to the forest floor after it.

Broad-Winged Hawk

Barred Owl : From Wikipedia: The Barred Owl, Strix varia, is a large typical owl. It goes by many other names, including eight hooter, rain owl, wood owl, and striped owl, but is probably known best as the hoot owl.
Its breeding habitat is dense woods across Canada, the eastern United States and south to Central America; in recent years it has spread to the western United States. The Barred Owl's nest is often in a tree cavity; it may also take over an old nesting site used by a crow or squirrel. It is a permanent resident, but may wander after the nesting season.
The adult is 44 cm long with a 112 cm wingspan. It has a pale face with dark rings around the eyes, a yellow beak and brown eyes. It is the only typical owl of the eastern United States which has brown eyes; all others have yellow eyes. The head is round and lacks ear tufts, a distinction from the Short-eared Owl. The upper parts are mottled gray-brown. The underparts are light with markings; the chest is barred horizontally while the belly is streaked lengthwise. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons.

Great Horned Owl : From Wikipedia: The Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus, is a large owl native to North and South America. It is an adaptable bird with a vast range, though it is not as widespread as the Barn Owl. They can take up residence in trees that include deciduous, coniferous, and mixed forests, tropical rainforests, pampas, prairie, mountainous areas, deserts, subarctic tundra, rocky coasts, mangrove swamps, and some urban areas. Though less common in the more extreme areas (i.e. the heart of the deserts, extremely dense rainforests) and missing from the high Arctic tundra, they are found in most habitats. Individuals range in length from 18 to 27 inches and have a wingspan of 40 to 60.5 inches. An average Great Horned Owl is 22 inches long, has a wingspan of 49 inches and weighs about 3.1 lbs. Generally, the largest owls are found closer to the Polar regions and the smallest owls are found closer to the Equator. Females are larger than males. Adults have large ear tufts, a reddish, brown or gray face and a white patch on the throat. The iris is yellow, except in the race B. v. nacurutu where it is amber. The ear tufts are not actually ears, but simply tufts of feathers. The underparts are light with brown barring; the upper parts are mottled brown. The legs and feet are covered in feathers up to the talons. Owls also have spectacular binocular vision needed to pinpoint prey and see in the dark. Owls cannot move their eyes like we can. They are locked in a special circular bone. Therefore, their neck must be able to turn a full 270 degrees in order to see in other directions without moving its entire body. An owl's hearing is as good — if not better — than its vision. Owls have stereo hearing that allows them to find the exact location of their prey. These birds also have 500 pounds per square inch of crushing power in their talons. A normal man has about 60.

Great Horned Owl

Hybrid Falcon : From Wikipedia: Adult falcons have thin tapered wings, which enable them to fly at high speed and to change direction rapidly. Fledgling falcons, in their first year of flying, have longer flight feathers which makes their configuration more like that of a general-purpose bird such as a broadwing. This is to make it easier for them to fly while learning the exceptional skills required to be effective hunters in their adult configuration. A falcon's wings are shaped like a scythe.

Eastern Screetch Owl - Grey Phase : From Wikipedia: The Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) is a small owl. Adults have either rusty or dark grey intricately patterned plumage with streaking on the underparts. Small and stocky, short-tailed and broad-winged, they have a large round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Rusty birds are more common in the southern parts of the range; pairings of the two colour variants do occur. A pale grey variation also exists in western Canada and the north-central United States. The color variations are referred to as "red-phase" and "grey-phase" by bird watchers and ornithologists.
Their breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods in eastern North America. Usually solitary, they nest in a tree cavity, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker; they will also use nesting boxes. They are strictly nocturnal, roosting during the day in cavities or next to tree trunks.
These birds wait on a perch on low limbs in open woods and along forest edges and swoop down on prey; they may also catch insects in flight. They mainly eat large insects and small rodents, as well as small birds. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.

Eastern Screetch Owl - Grey Phase

Eastern Screetch Owl - Red Phase : From Wikipedia: The Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) is a small owl. Adults have either rusty or dark grey intricately patterned plumage with streaking on the underparts. Small and stocky, short-tailed and broad-winged, they have a large round head with ear tufts, yellow eyes and a yellowish bill. Rusty birds are more common in the southern parts of the range; pairings of the two colour variants do occur. A pale grey variation also exists in western Canada and the north-central United States. The color variations are referred to as "red-phase" and "grey-phase" by bird watchers and ornithologists.
Their breeding habitat is deciduous or mixed woods in eastern North America. Usually solitary, they nest in a tree cavity, either natural or excavated by a woodpecker; they will also use nesting boxes. They are strictly nocturnal, roosting during the day in cavities or next to tree trunks.
These birds wait on a perch on low limbs in open woods and along forest edges and swoop down on prey; they may also catch insects in flight. They mainly eat large insects and small rodents, as well as small birds. They are active at night or near dusk, using their excellent hearing and night vision to locate prey.

Eastern Screetch Owl - Red Phase

Saker Falcon : From Wikipedia: The Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) is a very large falcon. This species breeds from eastern Europe eastwards across Asia to Manchuria. It is mainly migratory except in the southernmost parts of its range, wintering in Ethiopia, the Arabian peninsula, northern India and western China. The Saker Falcon is a large hierofalcon, larger than the Lanner Falcon and almost as large as Gyrfalcon at 47-55cm length with a wingspan of 105-129cm. Its broad blunt wings give it a silhouette similar to Gyrfalcon, but its plumage is more similar to a Lanner Falcon's.
Saker Falcons have brown upperbellies and contrasting grey flight feathers. The head and underparts are paler brown, with streaking from the breast down. Males (called sakrets in falconry) and females are similar, as are young birds, although these tend to be a duller brown. The call is a sharp kiy-ee.
The Saker Falcon is a bird of open grassland with some trees. It is a carnivore, usually hunting by horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's stoop from a height, and feeds mainly on rodents and more rarely birds. This species usually builds no nest of its own, but lays its 3-6 eggs on the ground or in an old stick nest in a tree which was previously used by other large birds such as crows, ravens or buzzards. However, it is known to have occasionally laid eggs in nests built on cliffs.

Long-eared Owl : From Wikipedia: The Long-eared Owl (Asio otus) is a species of owl which breeds in Europe, Asia, and North America. This species is a part of the larger grouping of owls known as typical owls, family Strigidae, which contains most species of owl. The other grouping of owls are the barn owls, family Tytonidae. The Long-eared Owl is a medium sized owl, 31-37 cm in length with an 86-98 cm wingspan. It has erect blackish ear-tufts, which are positioned in the center of the head. The female is larger in size and darker in colouration than the male. The Long-eared Owl’s brownish feathers are vertically streaked. Tarsus and toes are entirely feathered. Eye disks are also characteristic in this species. However, the eye disks of A. otus are darker in color or rusty-orange. This nocturnal species is perhaps most easily seen perched in a tree in its daytime roost. The Long-eared Owl's breeding season is from February to July. This bird is partially migratory, moving south in winter from the northern parts of its temperate range. Its habitat is forest close to open country. It nests in trees, often coniferous, using the old stick nests of other birds such as crows, ravens and magpies and various hawks. The average clutch size is 4-6 eggs, and the incubation time averages from 25-30 days. It will readily use artificial nesting baskets. An unusual characteristic of this species is its communal nesting in thickets during the winter months. The Long-eared Owl hunts over open country by night. It is very long winged, like the similar Short-eared Owl, and glides slowly on stiff wings when hunting. Its food is mainly rodents, small mammals, and birds.

Saw-whet Owl : From Wikipedia: The Saw-whet Owl (Aegolius acadicus) is a small owl. Adults are 18cm long with a 43 cm wingspan. They have a large round light grey face with brown streaks, a dark bill and yellow eyes. The underparts are pale with dark streaks; the upper parts are brown with white spots. Their breeding habitat is coniferous forests, sometimes mixed or deciduous woods, across North America. They nest in a tree cavity, usually one created by a woodpecker. They will sometimes use nesting boxes. Some are permanent residents; others may migrate south in winter or move down from higher elevations. These birds wait on a low perch at night and swoop down on prey. They mainly eat small rodents; on the Pacific coast, they may also eat crustaceans and aquatic insects. Like many owls, these birds have excellent hearing and exceptional vision in low light. This bird was named for its call, which is said to resemble a saw being sharpened with a whetstone. It is fairly common, but not always easy to spot.

Gyr Falcon : From Wikipedia: The Gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus), also spelled Gyr Falcon, sometimes Gerfalcon, is the largest of all falcon species. The Gyrfalcon breeds on Arctic coasts and islands of North America, Europe and Asia. The "g" is pronounced like the "j" in "jar".
The Gyrfalcon is a bird of tundra and mountains, with cliffs or a few patches of trees. It feeds only on birds and mammals. Like other hierofalcons, it usually hunts in a horizontal pursuit, rather than the Peregrine's speedy stoop from a height. Most prey is killed on the ground, whether they are captured there or, if the victim is a flying bird, forced to the ground. The diet is to some extent opportunistic, but a majority of breeding birds mostly rely on Lagopus grouse. Avian prey can range in size from redpolls to geese and can include gulls, corvids, smaller passerines, waders and other raptors (up to the size of Buteos). Mammalian prey can range in size from shrews to marmots (sometimes 3 times heavier than the assaulting falcon), and often includes include lemmings, voles, ground squirrels and hares. They only rarely eat carrion. The Gyrfalcon is Iceland's staðfugl (national bird), as well as the official bird of Canada's Northwest Territories. In medieval times, the Gyrfalcon was considered the king's bird. Due to its rarity and the difficulties involved in obtaining it, in falconry the gyrfalcon was generally reserved for kings and nobles.

Red-tailed hawk : From Wikipedia: The Red-tailed Hawk (Buteo jamaicensis) is a medium-sized bird of prey, one of three species colloquially known in the United States as the "chickenhawk." It breeds almost throughout North America from western Alaska and northern Canada to as far south as Panama and the West Indies. It is one of the largest members of the genus Buteo in North America, weighing from 1.5 to 4.4 pounds and measuring 18 to 26 inches in length, with a wingspan from 43 to 57 inches. The Red-tailed Hawk displays sexual dimorphism in size, as females are 25% larger than males. Red-tailed Hawk plumage can be variable, depending on the subspecies. These color variations are called morphs, and a Red-tailed Hawk may be light, dark, or rufous. The Red-tailed Hawk is successful in large part because it tolerates a wide range of habitats and altitudes, including deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, tropical rainforests, agricultural fields and urban areas. It is legally protected in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918. It is carnivorous, and an opportunistic feeder. Its diet is mainly composed of small mammals, but it also includes birds and reptiles. The Red-tailed Hawk is a popular bird in falconry. Approximately 60% of all raptors under 1 year of age taken from the wild for use in American falconry are Red-tailed Hawks. The Red-tailed Hawk also has significance in Native American culture. Its feathers are considered sacred by some tribes, and are used in religious ceremonies.

Red-tailed hawk

Barn Owl : From Wikipedia: The Barn Owl is a pale, long-winged, long-legged owl, a with squarish tail. Tail shape is a way of distinguishing the Barn Owl from owls of the strigidae family. 33–39 cm in length with an 80–95 cm wingspan. Its head and upperparts are buff, and the underparts are white. The face is heart shaped. In the US it is incorrectly sometimes called Screech Owl because the Barn Owl has a notable shreee scream, ear-shattering at close range. It can hiss like a snake, and when captured or cornered, it throws itself on its back and flails with sharp-taloned feet, an effective defence. Contrary to popular belief, it does not make the call "tu-whit to-whoo" (which is made by the Tawny Owl). It is a bird of open country, such as farmland, preferring to hunt along the edges of woods. The Barn Owl feeds primarily on small vertebrates, particularly rodents, but also birds and reptiles. It also sometimes eats insects. Studies have shown that an individual Barn Owl may eat one or more rodents per night; a nesting pair and their young can eat more than 1000 rodents per year. It has an effortless wavering flight as it quarters pastures or similar hunting grounds. Alternative names often refer to the appearance, white underparts, or eerie, silent flight, including Monkey-faced Owl, Ghost Owl, Church Owl, Golden Owl, Rat Owl and Stone Owl. Like most owls, the Barn Owl flies silently; tiny serrations on the leading edges of its flight feathers help to break up the flow of air over its wings, thereby reducing turbulence—and the noise that accompanies it. They hunt by flying low and slowly over an area of open ground, hovering over spots that conceal potential prey.

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