| Description
The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest North American member of the Buteo genus, which also includes the more familiar Red-tailed Hawk. It occurs in both light and dark morphs, with the light morph being more common. It has a pale head, a white chest, and its tail is a mixture of pale rust and white or gray. The reddish feathers on its back and legs, for which it is named, are conspicuous next to the pale background of its belly and tail. The wings are long, broad, and pointed, and in flight appear light-colored on the underside. Males and females of the species have similar markings, but the female may be up to one-and-a-half times larger. Habitat
Ferruginous Hawks inhabit open country, primarily prairies, plains and badlands, sagebrush, saltbush-greasewood shrubland, and desert. They favor landscapes with availability of perches such as poles, lone trees, knolls, rocky outcrops or large boulders. Their hunting techniques are adapted to these landscapes—they often take long, low flights close to the ground. This makes them difficult to see, despite their large size, and gives them the ability to quickly strike unsuspecting small prey. The Ferruginous Hawk's diet is made up of ground squirrels, as well as jackrabbits, voles, mice and prairie dogs. Range
Year-round, Ferruginous Hawks may be found in the southern Rockies and southwestern Great Plains. Breeding takes them north, to the southern portions of the prairie provinces of Canada (Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba) and throughout the northern Rockies and western Great Plains. From October through April, they move south to their winter range on the southern Great Plains west to California and into central Mexico and Baja California. Threats
The loss of grasslands over the last century due to conversion for agricultural purposes, development or other uses caused an extensive reduction in the Ferruginous Hawk’s range. Lack of suitable nesting sites also appears to be a cause of decline for this species, as well as the widespread control of prairie dogs and Richardson's ground squirrels. Ferruginous Hawks are also easily disturbed by human activity, particularly during the nesting period. Other threats include human hunting and the natural succession of northern grassland habitats to forests. The provision of artificial nesting platforms, public education about prairie dog control, and the elimination of human disturbance are strategies being used to increase the Ferruginous Hawk population.
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