Harris's Hawk
Harris's Hawk: Large hawk, dark brown head, neck, back, belly and rust-brown shoulders, underwing coverts and flanks. Tail is dark brown to almost black with white base and terminal band. Undertail coverts are white. Legs and feet are yellow. Flies close to ground or soars on thermals and updrafts.
● Song:
"eee eee eee eee"
● Foraging & Feeding:
Harris's Hawk: Feeds mainly on rodents such as woodrats, mice, and ground squirrels, but takes birds, often in flight, including ducks, quail, doves, rails, and gallinules; in certain regions of Mexico, its primary food is lizards.
● Breeding & nesting:
Harris's Hawk: Two to four white to pale blue eggs, marked with brown or lavender, are laid in a shallow platform made of sticks and twigs, lined with green mesquite, leaves, bark, grass, weeds, roots, and moss, and built on top of a mesquite or in a cactus, Spanish bayonet, or other tree less than 30 feet above the ground. Both parents incubate the eggs for 33 to 36 days; often two broods per year.
● Similar species:
Harris's Hawk: Red-shouldered Hawk lacks white patch on tail base and has barred rufous underparts.