Gray hawkĭuring summer, Gray Hawks are found in the southeast of Arizona for breeding. They nest on the ground in dense vegetation such as reeds, willows, or brushtails. Northern Harriers mostly eat small mammals and small birds. This slim, longed-tailed hawk can be seen gliding low over grassland or marshes.
Those in the middle of the range remain all year. Accessible at Northern Harriers that breed in Alaska, Canada, the northern Great Plains, and the Northeast before migrating south for the winter to southern states, Mexico and Central America. Northern Harriers are slender with long broad wings and are between the size of a crow and a goose. They often fly with the tips of their wings higher than their bodies in a v-shape.įemales are brown, and males are gray above and white below, and they have a white rump patch.Ĭredit: James Bradley, XC326879.
In spring they start leaving in February until the end of April. They appear in 10% of winter checklists and migrate into the state between August and October. Northern Harriers are only spotted in Arizona during winter, then they fly north for the breeding season. They lay 2-6 pale blue to bluish-white eggs. They feed on medium-sized birds and small mammals and nest in tall trees, often on top of an old nest of a large bird or clump of mistletoe. Look out for them at the edge of forests, but they can also be seen at feeders looking for an easy meal. Accessible at Cooper’s Hawks remain resident over most of the US, but some in the north of the range, including Canada, migrate south for the winter down as far as Mexico and Honduras. They have a larger head that projects well beyond the wings, unlike the Sharp-shinned Hawk.Ĭredit: Manuel Grosselet, XC619260. They can be hard to identify between them as they have the same blue-gray back and red-orange breast and also with dark bands on the tail.
The Cooper’s Hawk looks very similar to the Sharp-shinned Hawk but is bigger at about the size of a crow. In summer, they are recorded in 8% of checklists. They appear in 12% of checklists submitted by bird watchers in winter. They lay 2-3 whitish, brown-spotted eggs.Ĭooper’s Hawks are residents of Arizona all year, and they are more frequently spotted in winter as birds migrate in from northern breeding ranges. Nests are high in tall trees, cliff ledges, and sometimes on tall buildings or towers. Red-tailed Hawks remain resident in the US and Mexico, but those birds in Alaska, Canada, and the northern Great Plains fly south for winter. Accessible at The high-pitched descending raspy-screech sound of the Red-tailed Hawk is often used in movies for all birds of prey. Red-tailed Hawk Call: Credit: Phoenix Birder, XC493105. You can also see them perched on telephone poles. They are also the easiest to spot, often on long car journeys, as they circle slowly over open fields looking for prey such as small mammals, birds, and reptiles. Most Red-tailed Hawks are brown on the back and pale underneath. They are large, with broad, rounded wings. In summer, they are in 13% of checklists.Īs their name suggests, Red-tailed Hawks have a distinctive short, wide red tail. In winter, Red-tailed Hawks are the most frequently spotted hawks in Arizona and appeared in 27% of checklists submitted by bird watchers for the state. Hawks that are more common in summer in Arizona include the Gray Hawk and Swainson’s Hawk, while hawks that are more common in winter are Red-tailed Hawk and Northern Harrier. Some of these birds migrate, and some remain all year, and this information is included for each species. This guide will help you identify the species of hawks in Arizona according to avibase and ordered by the number of sighting recorded on ebird. If you enjoy finding out about birds of prey in Arizona then you should check out all the eagles and vultures you can spot here. To find Hawks head to woodland for the smaller hawks such as the Sharp-shinned Hawk and Cooper’s Hawk or open grassland, marshes, or high ridges for the larger species. There are 10 species of hawks recognized on state checklists as regularly occurring in Arizona, and 5 additional species are considered rare or accidental. Hawks are birds of prey and hunt and eat birds and small mammals, snakes, and frogs. They can see ultraviolet light, which helps them hunt down their prey.
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