Hawks & Owls
Guadalupe Caracara
As with many recently extinct animals, this species was brought to extinction when collectors, including museums, sought rare specimens after hunters reduced their numbers on the island of Guadalupe, their only home.
Short-eared Owl, Asio flammeus
Short-eared owls hunt over open grasslands in every continent except Australia and Antarctica, usually for their preferred prey voles but also prey on a number of other small mammals.
Golden Eagle, Aquila chrysaetos
Golden eagles prey on rabbits, squirrels, other small mammals and small birds in regions nearly circumpolar in the Northern Hemisphere.
Barn Owl, Tyto Alba
Barn owls eat rodents, insects, frogs, birds and sometimes poultry in portions of North America from British Columbia and Ontario to Mexico. One pair lived in one of the Smithsonian Institution towers for years.
Bald Eagle, Haliaeetus leucocephalus
The national bird of the US swoops down and snatches fish near the water surface and also preys on rodents and birds throughout most of North America.
Screech Owls, Otus asio
In the night screech owls silently prey on unsuspecting mice, insects, lizards, frogs, snakes, crayfish and fish in forests, groves, swamps, orchards, parks, small towns, and suburbs in North America,
Burrowing Owl, Athene cunicularia
Burrowing owls nest in ground holes burrowed out by ground squirrels and watch the ground while perched for insects and small rodents on which to prey in the open grasslands of North and South America.
Osprey, Pandion haliaetus
When an osprey spots a fish swimming near the surface, it hovers for an instant, then plunges downward splashing into the water, sometimes disappearing, submerged for a moment and finally rising with its prey in flight to its favorite perch.
Barred Owl, Strix varia
Barred owls hunt mostly for mice and other small mammals, also reptiles, fish, crayfish, birds and insects in forests throughout most of eastern North America from Mexico and Texas to southeastern Manitoba, from the Great Plains to the East Coast and in western Canada, Oregon and northern California.
Rough-legged Hawk, Buteo lagopus
Rough-legged hawks prey on small mammals in tundras of northern North America and Eurasia and migrate south in winter.
Long-eared Owl, Asio otus
Long-eared owls prey at night usually for small rodents but will also take birds, invertebrates, reptiles and amphibians in North America, Europe and Asia.
Flammulated Owl, Psiloscops flammeolus
Flammulated owls prey on moths, butterflies, crickets and beetles and sometimes small rodents in western North America and Central America.
Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus
Sharp-shinned hawks prey on small birds in thick foliage in the Americas and Greater Antilles.
American Kestrels, Falco sparverius
American kestrels eat mostly mice and insects such as grasshoppers and spiders, also snakes, lizards, small birds and rodents throughout North America and northern South America in forests, open prairies, farms, towns and cities.
Great Horned Owl, Bubo virginianus
Great horned owls feed on rodents, small mammals, poultry, game birds and song birds throughout most of the Americas.
Red-tailed Hawks, Buteo jamaicensis
Red-tailed hawks eat mice, rabbits, gophers and other small mammals, birds, reptiles, crayfish and insects throughout most of North and Central America and some Caribbean Islands.
Merlin, Falco columbarius
These small falcons, often called pigeon hawks, hunt small birds and rodents usually in open country in North America and Eurasia.
Swallow-tailed Kites, Elanoides forficatus
Swallow-tailed kites feed on small reptiles and amphibians in southeastern US, Central America and much of South America.
Cooper’s Hawk, Accipiter cooperii
Cooper’s hawks prey on birds and small mammals throughout most of North America from southern Canada to southern Mexico.
Red-shoulderd Hawk, Buteo lineatus
Red-shouldered Hawks scan their surroundings from a high perch for small mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and occasionally insects.
Ferruginous Hawk, Buteo regalis
Ferruginous hawks hunt up to medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, and some insects in central and western North America.
Northern Goshawk, Accipiter gentilis
Northern goshawks prey on birds and small mammals in Eurasia and North America.
Peregrine Falcon, Falco peregrinus
Peregrine falcons hunt medium size birds throughout the world except for polar regions.
Northern Harriers, Circus hudsonius
Northern harriers hunt small mammals in North America and Central America.
Broad-winged Hawk, Buteo platypterus
Broad-winged hawks prey on insects and small amphibians, reptiles and mammals in much of the Americas and the Caribbean.
Swainson’s Hawk, Buteo swainsoni
Swainson’s hawks watch from a perch or soar over open ground for grasshoppers, locusts and other insects in central and western North America in and migrates to South America.
Mississippi Kite, Ictinia mississippiensis
Mississippi Kites are agile aerial hunters, known for their graceful and acrobatic flight as they swoop, dive, and hover to capture insects in flight. They inhabit central and southern US and migrate to South America.
