Swainson's Hawk

Overview

Buteo swainsoni, commonly known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, is a large raptor in the order Accipitriformes. It is classified as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List and is noted for its preference for consuming insects like locusts.

Identification

• Length of 43–56 cm and a wingspan of 117–137 cm, with slender, elongated wings held in a slight dihedral during flight.
• Light-morph adults (over 90% of the population) feature white underparts with a dark reddish 'bib' on the chest and a distinct white throat and face patch.
• Underwings display a unique pattern among North American raptors, with light linings on the leading edge and dark flight feathers on the trailing edge.

Habitat

Breeding habitats consist of open and semi-open environments such as deserts, grasslands, and prairies in western North America, particularly favouring wild prairie and hayfields. The species is a long-distance migrant that winters primarily on the pampas of South America in Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil.

Diet

Foraging methods include still-hunting from elevated perches, soaring with wings in a dihedral, and coursing low over the ground to pin down large insects. While largely insectivorous, breeding pairs switch to capturing vertebrates such as young ground squirrels, cottontails, pocket gophers, and small birds to feed their nestlings.

Did you know?

Recent research demonstrates that this species is the ancestor of the Galápagos hawk, a lineage that diverged from mainland birds only about 300,000 years ago.