Roadside Hawks are small birds of prey with barred bellies. Currently, with twelve subspecies they are generally brown or gray with rufous coloring on their wings. Their lower breast and chest have brown and white bars. Their tails also have four to five gray bars. Their eyes, legs, and feet are yellow.
- Rupornis magnirostris
- Length: 12 – 16 in (31 – 41 cm)
- Weight: 8.8 – 10.6 oz (250 – 300g)
- Wingspan: 30 in (76.2 cm)
Range
Roadside Hawks usually live in Mexico, Central America, and South America, but some have ventured as far as Southern US states.
Habitat And Diet
You can find Roadside Hawks in various forested habitats, mostly near forest edges and clearing. Called Roadside Hawks, they are found near roadsides especially those that cut through forested areas. They are often found perched on fence posts and power lines and in trees. They are also found in the presence of humans like in suburbs and city parks.
Roadside Hawks are top predators and feed on different types of prey, from insects, lizards and small mammals to small birds like doves and orioles. They capture prey by waiting from their perch and then immediately grabbing their prey on the ground. They also simply walk on the ground or capture their prey in flight.
Roadside Hawk Call:
Nests
Nests of Roadside Hawks are a platform made of sticks built in trees along forest edges. Both parents continuously line the nest with leaves, moss, and tree bark. The female lays one to three eggs that she alone incubates for around thirty-seven days. When the eggs hatch, they will remain in the nest until they can fly, in about thirty-five days.
Fun Fact:
While Roadside Hawks are accustomed to the presence of humans in their environment, they will become aggressive and attack them when humans pass near their nests.
