Category Nature Science & Wildlife

The destruction of habitat of swallow-tailed kites has led to a sharp decline in their numbers. However, thanks to the restoration efforts, their numbers have increased since 2016.

Built like gliders, with huge wings and small, streamlined bodies, swallow-tailed kites are considered one of the most graceful fliers seen in America. They rarely flap their wings during flight; they soar effortlessly and can change directions with the minutest of movements of their forked tails.

These birds feed primarily on flying insects, but during the breeding season they also hunt small vertebrates, including tree frogs, lizards, nestling birds, and snakes. Stinging and biting insects such as wasps and ants also form an important part of their diet. Rarely do they eat small fish and fruits.

It is interesting to watch a swallow-tailed kite drink water; it skims through the surface of water and collects water in its beak.

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The American kestrel is the smallest and most common falcon in North America. It is also known as sparrow hawk. This bird is commonly used in falconry, especially by beginners.

American kestrels often hunt as a family group and this gives the younger ones a chance to practise before they have to survive on their own. They hunt the prey from a perch. After catching their prey, kestrels will carry it up to a perch from which they can comfortably eat. This also helps them to evade ground predators. They feed mainly on insects, mice, voles, lizards, and snakes. These birds are sometimes kept in agricultural fields to keep away animals that might damage the crops.

The wings of an American kestrel are slim and pointed. They have long square-tipped tails. They usually fly with their wings swept back. They are known for quick and buoyant flights.

Picture Credit : Google

Found across Europe, Asia, and Africa, the common buzzard is a medium sized raptor. It is often confused for other birds like the red kite and the golden eagle because of its colour and size.

Even though the looks confuse you, a common buzzard can easily be identified by its call: it has a very distinctive call, like a cat’s mew.

The common buzzard adopts a distinctive shape in flight. When soaring and gliding, its tail is fanned and its wings are often held in a shallow ‘V’. Though a solitary bird, it joins flocks during migration.

Common buzzards are carnivores; they eat birds, small mammals, and carrion. However, they do not starve when these are not available; in dire situations, they resort to earthworms and large insects.

The northern goshawk is a relative of Cooper’s hawk, but bigger, wilder, and fiercer in nature. They are secretive and usually live in large tracts of forests in America and Eurasia.

These birds have a thing for nests; Northern goshawk pairs build and maintain up to eight alternate nests within their nesting area. They may use the same nest year after year, or may switch to a new nest after a brood fails. They are fiercely vocal and defensive near their nests. No wonder, they are known to attack anybody who dares to come close to their nesting area.

Northern goshawks add fresh coniferous needles to the nest during the breeding season. Terpenes, the aromatic chemicals in the needles act as natural insecticides. The birds are stealthy predators; they watch the prey on high perches and then attack with quick, agile flight.

Picture Credit : Google

The red-tailed hawk is also known as chicken hawk. It is called so because it feeds on chicken. The chicken hawk is found almost everywhere, be it deserts, grasslands, coniferous and deciduous forests, agricultural fields or urban areas. Usually weighing from 10-12 kilograms, it is one of the heaviest hawks.

The chicken hawk has a highly variable diet that depends on what is available. It usually feasts on small mammals like rodents, ground squirrels and birds. It is also known to eat reptiles.

In islands where mammals are absent, chicken hawks survive on a diet of lizards, crabs and small birds. Their hunting techniques vary depending on the habitat they occupy.

The feathers and other parts of the red-tailed hawk are considered sacred by some Native American tribes and are sometimes used in religious ceremonies.

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Found in the dense forests throughout southern Canada and continental United States, the Cooper’s hawk is known as a predator of birds. However, it also feeds on mammals, particularly squirrels and chipmunks. It is named after the American zoologist William Cooper.

Cooper’s hawks are bold and aggressive predators. The short, cupped wings allow them to launch a swift attack from the perch. During hunts, Cooper’s hawks rely on agile, twisting flights between bouts of perching and scanning. They suddenly pick up speed upon approaching the prey. They can eat almost 12 per cent of their body weight a day; this is equivalent to a human weighing 100 kilograms eating 12 kilograms of food a day!

They build broad, flat stick nests on tree trunks. Female Cooper hawks are larger and bulkier than their male counterparts. They lay three to six eggs at a time.