Birds of the Desert: Harris's Hawk

A very rare visitor to the skies of Oklahoma, the Harris's Hawk is a raptor of saguaro-mesquite, paloverde, organ pipe cactus, or mesquite woodlands.  They are normally in the extreme southwest part of the country as well as southern Texas.  They are social hawks with a cooperative effort in hunting and know the meaning of family as a unit.  A couple of them will flush their prey and the third will capture it.  It may lead to sibling rivalry, but it is a healthy way to do it.

Their body structure is somewhat confusing, running about midway between a buteo and an accipiter with short wings, long tail, lanky build, and rounded, broad wings.  Its  genus name certainly suggests these attributes, parabuteo.  The wings are all dark with rufous shoulders and white upper tail coverts and tail tip.  Audubon even named this bird after his friend and ornithological companion, Edward Harris.

                                                               Harris's Hawk
                                                           Eastland, TX 2018

The dusky hawk breeds in the southwest US through Mexico and Central America, south to Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.  They will reside in semi-desert, sparse woodlands, mangrove swamps, and marshes with sparse trees in some of their assorted ranges.  They do not migrate and are resident birds in their own zones.  Even though their populations are declining, they have relocated to developed areas.



Harris's Hawk (background) with
   Peregrine Falcon (foreground)
Digital Art by Liana Winters Smith


Highly intelligent and easy to train, this is a popular falconry bird, which lends to the fact that it is seen in Europe and Asia.  Its size falls between a Red-tailed Hawk and a Peregrine Falcon with the female thirty percent larger than the male, which is a form of sexual dimorphism.

Their agility and hunting practices allow them to take rabbits, lizards and large insects. The bay- winged hawk will nest in shrubby growth, cacti, and small trees.  Young have been known to stay with their parents for up to three years, lending to cooperative breeding.   The female could breed up to three times each year.

The dusky hawk will often stand upon another if perching spots are lacking.