![]() ![]() They are described as the fastest animal on the planet, and have been recorded reaching speeds in excess of 240 miles an hour in dives after prey. Peregrine falcons are among the most charismatic and noted of the world's birds. The American kestrel breeds statewide in open terrain from sea level to the alpine zone in the mountains. These birds soar with their long and pointed wings flat, and regularly hover over open and partly open country with scattered trees, including cultivated lands and occasionally suburban areas. Females are slightly larger than males and have reddish-brown backs and upper wing coverts that are barred with dark brown. Juvenile males are similar to adult males but have heavily streaked breasts. The tail has a wide black subterminal band. Adult males have rufous backs and tails with blue-grey upper wing coverts. It has two considerably different plumages: adult male and female and juvenile males differ somewhat from adult males until post-juvenile mold in fall. The Northern goshawk is an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species in the East Cascades and West Cascades ecoregions.įormerly known in American literature as the Sparrow hawk, this is the smallest (dove-sized) and most familiar and abundant member of the family Falconidae in North America and one of the easiest raptors to observe. It is an uncommon to fairly common permanent resident in suitable habitat between 1,900 - 6,100 foot elevation in forested portions of the Cascade, Blue, and Klamath mountains. Tails of both adults and immatures have dark bands. When perched, the short wings of the goshawk do not reach the midpoint of the tail. An eye-stripe, if present, helps identify a goshawk. Immatures are generally brown with strong striping on the underparts. Adult plumage color is generally silver-gray on the upperparts and barred pale grayish-white on the underparts. It is approximately the size of the Common raven. The Northern goshawk has short, broad, round-tipped wings and a long tail. ![]() Like others of the genus it is morphologically adapted to maneuvering through forest landscapes and usually uses an ambush approach to capturing prey although if prey tries to escape, it quickly pursues.įrom Turkey to Japan, goshawks are favored over falcons for falconry, and a limited number of permits are issued in Oregon for taking goshawks for falconry purposes. and Canadian forest hawks known as accipiters, this is by far the most impressive because of its size and aggressiveness. During fall migration, many birds move through the state to wintering grounds farther south. ![]() It is an uncommon transient and winter visitor across the state in wooded areas or semi-open country. It is least common in the breeding season in southeastern Oregon, where most forests are widely disjunct and separated by arid brushland. The Sharp-shinned hawk is an uncommon breeder throughout Oregon in forested areas from sea level to timberline. Males average about 57 percent the body mass of females. The eyes of adults are a striking crimson. But prevailing attitudes have changed, and today a glimpse of this slender, secretive hawk darting through the treetops is more likely to elicit admiration than malice.Īdult plumage, nearly identical to the slightly larger Cooper's hawk, consists of slate gray back and wings, breast and sides barred with rufous and white, and a black and gray banded tail. Across the U.S., many thousands were shot in the first half of the 20th century. The Sharp-shinned hawk is North America's smallest and most migratory accipiter.Īs a hunter of songbirds (and sometimes young chickens) it historically endured harsh reproach, and was often depicted as a blood-thirsty villain, even by some ornithologists. The harrier also remains common year-round in the Klamath Basin and is the second most commonly encountered wintering raptor at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. The Northern harrier is common during summer and migration in open habitats east of the Cascades, with numbers decreasing in most areas during winter. An exception is in the lowlands of Umatilla and Morrow counties, where the harrier is common in winter due to an influx of wintering birds. ![]() Males are noted for their high-spirited and acrobatic courtship displays, in particular a series of dives and barrel rolls in multiple loops that serve as a means of advertising territory occupancy. The larger females have rich brown upperparts while adult males are mostly light to medium gray, sometimes appearing almost ghostly silvery-white. Commonly encountered in large expanses of open country, its main hunting technique is through use of a distinctive buoyant, gliding flight low over the ground that relies heavily on visual as well as auditory cues to detect prey. The Northern harrier is a slender, medium-sized hawk characterized by a noticeably long tail, bold white rump patch, and owl-like face. ![]()
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