Ferruginous Hawk

Description:

A raptor of the open country of the West, the Ferruginous Hawk is the largest American hawk. Wings long and broad. Large head with a wide gape. Tail white or light gray. In light form, head mostly white, back and shoulders rufous, pale patch in ends of wings, underparts mostly white, legs rufous, making a dark V visible from below. Dark morph entirely dark brown, with light gray or whitish tail, and light area near end of wings. Legs feathered to the toes. Immature Description Juvenile similar to adult, but has lightly banded tail; light form lacks rufous legs and back.Pale Red-tailed Hawk lacks dark legs and reddish on back. Rough-legged Hawk is darker, with broad black tail band, and lacks white comma in wings.

Habitat:

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.

Notes:

A birds-of-prey demonstration is held in the open desert and spectators watch from the flight path. The birds fly so close visitors often feel the brush of feathers. The museum hosts two demonstrations daily from mid-October through mid-April. The birds fly completely untethered, without any jesses (leg straps) and most often without leg rings. Only birds native to the Sonoran Desert Region are flown. A featured species is Harris's Hawks, the only raptor species in the world to hunt as a family using strategy, like wolves. The morning and afternoon demonstrations showcase different species, so each is unique. Species include: Harris's Hawk, peregrine falcons, barn owls, red-tailed hawks, ferruginous hawk, great horned owl, gray hawk, prairie falcon, and chihuahuan raven.