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Project Noah Nature School
Parabuteo unicinctus
Harris' Hawks (Parabuteo unicinctus) are dark brown in color with copper or reddish colored shoulder patches. Their tail is long with white feathers near the vent and at the tip of the tail. When in flight the underside of the wings are also coppery in color. Their legs are long and yellow and their beak has a yellow base and black tip.
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum is a 98-acre (40 ha) zoo, aquarium, botanical garden, natural history museum, publisher, and art gallery founded in 1952. Located just west of Tucson, Arizona, it features two miles (3.2 km) of walking paths traversing 21 acres (8.5 ha) of desert landscape. The nonprofit organization focuses on the interpretation of the natural history, plants and animals of the Sonoran Desert.
These birds are one of only two known raptor species that hunt as a group. This cooperative hunting style works much like those of mammals, where some members of the group flush out the prey and chase it towards the other hunters in the group. Harris' hawks have excellent vision, possibly 8 times greater than human vision. Because these birds build their nests high off the ground in saguaro cactus or trees it is difficult for many predators to reach them. They will also use group members to help protect the nest from predators by giving alarm calls or harassing any animals who threatens their nest. Predators can include great horned owls, coyotes, common ravens, and bobcats.
Spotted on Nov 5, 2013
Submitted on Dec 10, 2013
2 Comments
They were very accommodating.
neat photo :)