View source for Hawk

{{short description|Bird of prey}}
{{other uses|Hawk (disambiguation)|Hawks (disambiguation)}}
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{{Use British English|date=February 2020}}
{{Paraphyletic group
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| image_caption = Adult [[Eurasian goshawk]]
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[[File:Accipiter striatusDO1908P02CA.JPG|thumb|[[Sharp-shinned hawk]], a small member of the [[Accipitrinae]] subfamily]]

'''Hawks''' are [[bird of prey|birds of prey]] of the family [[Accipitridae]]. They are very widely distributed and are found on all continents, except [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=hawk {{!}} Types, Diet, & Facts {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/animal/hawk-bird |access-date=2022-07-25 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en}}</ref> 

The [[subfamily]] [[Accipitrinae]] includes [[goshawk]]s, [[sparrowhawk]]s, [[sharp-shinned hawk]]s, and others. This subfamily are mainly woodland birds with short broad wings, long tails, and high visual acuity. They hunt by dashing suddenly from a concealed perch.<ref>Campbell, B., Lack.E (2013) A Dictionary of Birds. p.273</ref>

In the [[United States]], members of the ''[[Buteo]]'' group are also called hawks, though birds of this group are called [[buzzard]]s in other parts of the world. Generally, buteos have broad wings and sturdy builds. They are relatively larger-winged and shorter-tailed than accipiters, and fly further distances in open areas. Buteos descend or pounce on their prey rather than engaging in fast, horizontal pursuit.

The terms ''accipitrine hawk'' and ''buteonine hawk'' are used to distinguish between the types in regions where ''hawk'' applies to both. The term ''"true hawk"'' is sometimes used for the accipitrine hawks in regions where ''buzzard'' is preferred for the buteonine hawks.

All these groups are members of the family [[Accipitridae]], which includes hawks and buzzards as well as [[Kite (bird)|kite]]s, [[harrier (bird)|harrier]]s, and [[eagle]]s. To confuse things further, some authors use "hawk" generally for any small to medium [[Accipitrid]] that is not an eagle.<ref name=Debus1998>{{cite book|last1=Debus|first1=Stephen J. S.|title=The birds of prey of Australia: a field guide|date=1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Melbourne|isbn=0-19-550624-3|pages=12, 16, 62}} Debus writes that the osprey is "a large aquatic hawk, with adaptations for catching fish by plunge-diving into water"; the elanid kites are "small, gull-like, grey-and-white hawks with black forewing patches"; and, of the harriers, that the "hawks in this cosmopolitan genus ('circling hawk') are so-called because of their low harrying flight". But he refers to the "typical or milvine kites" as "large kites", not hawks.</ref>

[[File:Red-tailed Hawk.jpg|thumb|A [[Red-tailed hawk]] (''Buteo jamaicensis''), a member of the [[Buteo]] group]]

The common names of some birds include the term "hawk", reflecting traditional usage rather than taxonomy. For example, some people call an [[osprey]] a "[[fish hawk]]" or a [[peregrine falcon]] a "[[duck hawk]]".

== History ==

[[Falconry]] was once called "hawking", and any bird used for falconry could be referred to as a hawk.<ref name=SOED3>{{cite book|last1=Little|first1=William|last2=Fowler|first2=H. W.|last3=Coulson|first3=Jessie|last4=Onions|first4=C. T.|last5=Friedrichsen|first5=G. W. S.|title=The shorter Oxford English dictionary on historical principles|orig-year=1944|year=1973|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|isbn=0-19-861-294-X|edition=3|chapter=Hawk|quote="Any diurnal bird of prey used in Falconry ... In ''Nat. Hist.'', restricted to a bird of the subfamily ''Accipitrinæ ... To chase or hunt game with a trained hawk; to practise falconry. ... Thei hauke, thei hunt, thei card, thei dice. Latimer'' [Hugh 1485?{{snd}}1555]"}}</ref>

Aristotle listed eleven types of {{lang|grc|ἱέρακες}} (''hierakes'', hawks; singular {{lang|grc|ἱέραξ}}, ''hierax''): aisalōn (merlin), asterias, hypotriorchēs, kirkos, leios, perkos, phassophonos, phrynologos, pternis, spizias, and triorchēs. Pliny numbered sixteen kinds of hawks, but named only aigithos, epileios, kenchrēïs (kestrel), kybindis, and triorchēs (buzzard).<ref name="Arnott2007">{{cite book|last1=Arnott|first1=W. Geoffrey| title=Birds in the Ancient World from A to Z|date=2007| publisher=Routledge| chapter=Hierax|isbn=9781134556267| chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EJiBAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA77}}</ref>

== Groups ==

=== ''Accipiterine'' group ===

Accipitrine hawks generally hunt other birds as their primary prey and thus are sometimes called "hen-hawks". Similarly, they are sometimes called "wood-hawks" because of their [[woodland]] [[habitat]]. Though they are also known as "true hawks" With most being called "sparrowhawks" or "goshawks" with the both being named such because of them hunting small birds (like sparrow) and large water-fowl (like goose) respectively

The [[subfamily]] [[Accipitrinae]] contains the genus ''[[Accipiter]]'' as well as the [[genus|genera]] ''[[Micronisus]]'' (Gabar goshawk), ''[[Urotriorchis]]'' (long-tailed hawk), and ''[[Megatriorchis]]'' (Doria's goshawk). ''[[Melierax]]'' (chanting goshawk) may be included in the subfamily or given a subfamily of its own.

''[[Erythrotriorchis]]'' (red- and chestnut-shouldered goshawk) is traditionally included in Accipitridae, but is possibly a convergent genus from an unrelated group (see [[Red goshawk#Taxonomy|red goshawk taxonomy]]).

=== ''Buteonine'' group ===

The "[[Buteoninae|''Buteonine'' group]]" includes genera ''[[Buteo]]'', ''[[Parabuteo]]'', ''[[Geranoaetus|Geranoetus]]'', and most of ''[[Leucopternis]]''. Members of this group have also been called "hawk-buzzards".<ref name="EA1920">{{cite book|title=The Encyclopedia Americana|date=1920|chapter=Hawk}}</ref>

The proposed new genera ''[[Morphnarchus]]'', ''[[Rupornis]]'', and ''[[Pseudastur]]'' would be formed from members of ''Buteo'' and ''Leucopternis''.<ref name=SACC460>{{cite web|last1=Remsen|first1=Van|title=Revise generic boundaries in the ''Buteo'' group. Proposal (460) to the South American Classification Committee|url=http://www.museum.lsu.edu/~Remsen/SACCprop460.html|access-date=22 June 2014|date=August 2010}}</ref>

Members of the "''[[Buteogallus]]'' group" are also called hawks, with the exception of solitary eagle species. ''Buteo'' is the type genus of the subfamily Buteoninae. This subfamily traditionally includes eagles and sea-eagles, but Lerner and Mindell (2005)<ref>{{Cite web |last=Farnsworth |first=Matt |date=2024-01-12 |title=Eagle-eyed and Soaring: The Buteo Biography |url=https://theworldsrarestbirds.com/buteo/ |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=The Worlds Rarest Birds |language=en-US}}</ref> proposed placing them into separate the subfamilies Aquilinae and Haliaaetinae. This would leave only the buteonine hawks/buzzards in Buteoninae.

==Characteristics==
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===Intelligence===

In February 2005, Canadian [[ornithologist]] Louis Lefebvre announced a method of measuring avian "[[IQ]]" by measuring their innovation in feeding habits. Based on this scale, hawks were named among the most intelligent birds.<ref>[http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/nsae-bit021605.php EurekAlert! Public News List:Bird IQ test takes flight] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110806071550/http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-02/nsae-bit021605.php |date=2011-08-06 }} - Dr. Lefebvre's AAAS presentation - Feeding innovations and forebrain size in birds (Monday, February 21, 2005)Part of the symposium: [[Mind]], [[Brain]] and Behavior</ref>

=== Eyesight ===
Hawks, like most birds, are [[tetrachromat]]s with four types of colour receptors in the eye. Unlike some birds, but similar to other diurnal raptors, most hawk species are violet-sensitive but cannot perceive ultraviolet light.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Lind |first1=Olle |last2=Mitkus |first2=Mindaugas |last3=Olsson |first3=Peter |last4=Kelber |first4=Almut |title=Ultraviolet sensitivity and colour vision in raptor foraging |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |date=15 May 2013 |volume=216 |issue=10 |pages=1819–1826 |doi=10.1242/jeb.082834|doi-access=free |pmid=23785106 |bibcode=2013JExpB.216.1819L }}</ref> Hawks also have relatively high visual acuity – the distance at which they can resolve an image – with [[red-tailed hawks]] reported to have 16.8 cycles per degree.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Hall |first1=M.I. |last2=Ross |first2=C.F. |date=2007 |title=Eye shape and activity patterns in birds |journal=Journal of Zoology |volume=271 |issue=4 |pages=437–444|doi=10.1111/j.1469-7998.2006.00227.x }}</ref> This is due to the large number of [[Photoreceptor cell|photoreceptor]]s in the [[retina]] (up to 1,000,000 per square mm in ''Buteo'', compared to 200,000 in [[humans]]), a high number of [[Neuron|nerves]] connecting these receptors to the brain, and an indented [[Fovea centralis|fovea]], which magnifies the central portion of the [[visual field]].<ref>{{cite web  | title = Hawks | publisher = beautyofbirds.com   | url = http://www.beautyofbirds.com/hawks.htm  | access-date = 2010-01-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last = Kirschbaum | first = Kari | title = Family Accipitridae | work = AnimalDiversity Web | publisher = University of Michigan Museum of Zoology  | url = http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Accipitridae.html  | access-date = 2010-01-30 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Nathan |first1=Raymond |title=Bird of preys |url=https://www.birdlife.org/news/2009/06/24/list-of-birds-of-prey/ |access-date=8 April 2023 |publisher=Birdlife.org}}</ref> Hawks additionally have two foveae (depressions in the retina with high photoreceptor density) in each eye, one centrally-placed and the other temporally-placed.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mitkus |first1=Mindaugas |last2=Olsson |first2=Peter |last3=Toomey |first3=Matthew B. |last4=Corbo |first4=Joseph C. |last5=Kelber |first5=Almut |date=2017 |title=Specialized photoreceptor composition in the raptor fovea |journal=The Journal of Comparative Neurology |volume=525 |issue=9 |pages=2152–2163 |doi=10.1002/cne.24190|pmid=28199005 |pmc=6235456 }}</ref> Finally, the eyeball is elongated, placing the lens far from the retina and giving a long [[focal length]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-11-25 |title=How Far Can Hawks Really See? (The Truth Explained) {{!}} Birdie Learning |url=https://birdielearning.com/how-far-can-hawks-see/#:~:text=Hawks%20have%20binocular%20vision,%20much%20like%20humans,%20which,long%20%E2%80%9Cfocal%20length%E2%80%9D,%20which%20produces%20a%20large%20image. |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=birdielearning.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Migration==

Like most birds, hawks migrate in the autumn and the spring. The autumn migration season begins in August and ends mid-December, and different types of hawk choose different times in each season to migrate. Some migration distances are longer than others, and birds traveling longer distances tend to depart in early autumn while those traveling shorter distances start much later. Studies have shown that it is better for a hawk to arrive at its destination as early as possible to have first pick of mates, territory, food, and other resources.<ref name="Migration of Hawks">{{cite book|last=Heintzelman|first=Donald S.|title=The Migration of Hawks|year=1986|publisher=Indiana University Press|location=Bloomington|pages=40}}</ref>

There are a variety of factors impacting the strategy and success of a hawk's migration. Kerlinger states that a bird has more body fat when it begins its migration than when it arrives at its destination. Thus, the more fat a bird has when it begins its migration, the better its chances of making the trip safely. Flight path is another important factor in migration because a bird's route can greatly affect the conditions it encounters during its journey. For example, wind direction and speed can either throw the bird off course or push it in the right direction.<ref name="Flight Strategies">{{cite book|last=Kerlinger|first=Paul|title=Flight Strategies of Migrating Hawks|year=1989|publisher=The University of Chicago Press|location=Chicago|pages=57–58,153}}</ref> Due to the relative variability of air conditions over large bodies of water and the resulting impact on safety, hawks tend to avoid any large bodies of water while migrating by detouring around lakes or flying along coasts.<ref name="Soaring Hawks">{{cite book|last=Heintzelman|first=Donald S.|title=Hawks & Owls in Eastern North America|year=2004|publisher=Rutgers University Press|location=New Brunswick|pages=96–98|isbn=9780813533506|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tTMTU3l1BDsC&pg=PA96}}</ref>

[[Hawkwatching]] is a citizen scientist activity that monitors hawk migration and provides data to the scientific community.

==Habitat and distribution==
{{See also|List of Accipitriformes by population}}

The [[red-tailed hawk]] is probably the most common hawk in [[North America]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Red-tailed Hawk Overview, All About Birds, Cornell Lab of Ornithology |url=https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Red-tailed_Hawk/overview |access-date=2023-03-30 |website=www.allaboutbirds.org |language=en}}</ref>

Past observations have indicated that, while hawks can easily adapt to most environments, they prefer open habitats such as deserts and fields, likely because it is easier to spot prey. As they are able to live anywhere, they can also be found in mountainous plains and tropical, moist areas such as [[Central America]], the [[West Indies]], and [[Jamaica]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Where Do Red-tailed Hawks Live? (Habitat + Distribution) |url=https://birdfact.com/articles/where-do-red-tailed-hawks-live |access-date=2024-10-18 |website=Birdfact |language=en}}</ref>

==Behavior==

[[File:Perch hunting.webm|thumb|thumbtime=49|Perch Hunting. This perching [[hawk]] located, captured and returned with prey at sunset]]
Parents feed young hawks from early in their lives until they leave the nest.<ref name="National Geographic">{{cite journal |date=11 November 2010 |title=Red-Tailed Hawk |url=http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/red-tailed-hawk/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100129001535/http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/birds/red-tailed-hawk/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=January 29, 2010 |journal=National Geographic |access-date=18 October 2012}}</ref> Young hawks, while still in the fledgling phase, will leave their nests as early as six weeks old, but they do not hunt until they are older. Like most [[birds of prey]], hawks kill their prey with their talons. Hawks usually prefer hunting just before nightfall when daylight lessens.<ref name="Migration of Hawks"/> Although hawks are known for being violent [[predators]], some are gentle and quiet.{{cn|date=August 2022}}

Hawks fly by flapping their wings rapidly then relying on momentum to glide through the air.<ref name="Soaring Hawks"/> Like other birds, they are known to form flocks when migrating, which improves [[Life|survival]] rates over traveling alone. Flocks of birds, especially hawks, are sometimes called "kettles" in the United States.{{Non sequitur|date=August 2024}}<ref name="Flight Strategies"/>{{rp|215–16}}

==Reproduction==

Hawks are known for their unique [[mating season]] and means of [[reproduce|reproduction]].

Some species of hawk are [[Monogamy in animals|monogamous]] and have one partner their whole lives. The male and female of a mating pair build their nest before mating season then improve it throughout nesting season. They usually do this before mating.<ref name="Soaring Hawks" />

Hawks have a striking mating ritual. First, a male and a female fly together in a [https://birdsology.com/why-do-hawks-circle/ circular motion]. Once they reach a certain height, the male dives toward the female before ascending back to that height. The two birds repeat this until the male latches onto the female, and they begin to free-fall towards the ground.

In one year, a female hawk will lay about five eggs. Both the male and the female guard and care for the [[Bird egg|eggs]] for about a month until they hatch.<ref name="National Geographic" />

==Diet==
[[File:Red-tailed Hawk Eating a Rodent 1080p 60fps.ogv|thumb|[[Red-tailed hawk]] removing fur from a [[rodent]] before eating it, [[Mission Peak Regional Preserve]], [[California]]]]

Hawks [[diet (nutrition)|feed]] on a variety of smaller animals such as [[snakes]], [[lizards]], [[fish]], [[mice]], [[rabbits]], [[squirrels]], [[birds]], or any other type of small game that is found on the ground.<ref name="National Geographic" /> As an example, [[red-shouldered hawk|red-shouldered hawks]] eat smaller birds like [[doves]] as well as bugs like [[grasshopper]]s and [[crickets]].<ref name="Soaring Hawks"/>

==In culture==
{{further|Falconry}}

The term ''[[war hawk]]'', or simply ''hawk'', is used in politics to describe someone perceived as favoring war. The term reportedly originated in the United States during the 1810 debates in Congress over a possible war with Great Britain. [[John Randolph of Roanoke|Congressman John Randolph]] is said to have referred to [[Henry Clay]]'s pro-war faction as the "war-hawks".<ref>p 156, "Fighting Words, From War, Rebellions, and Other Combative Capers by Christine Ammer.:</ref> Those who are politically opposed to war or philosophically advocate peace are referred to as [[Doves as symbols#Peace and pacifism in politics|doves]].

Numerous sporting clubs, such as the [[Atlanta Hawks]], the [[Hawthorn Hawks]], and the [[Malmö Redhawks]], use the bird as an emblem. The sports teams of [[Miami University]] in [[Oxford, Ohio]] officially became known as the [[Miami RedHawks|RedHawks]] in 1997 after changing the name from Redskins. The sports teams of [[Saint Joseph's University]] in [[Philadelphia]] use the Hawk as an emblem for sports teams as well for students and graduates. The [[University of Iowa]] uses the name [[Iowa Hawkeyes|Hawkeyes]] for their sports teams. Although the name "Hawkeyes" is not derived from a hawk, they have [[Herky the Hawk]] as their mascot and a hawk head as their team logo. 

[[File:Aurangzeb-portrait.jpg|thumb|Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb holding a hawk in his darbar]]

Hawks are strongly associated with [[Guru Gobind Singh]] in the [[Sikhs|Sikh]] community. He is believed to have kept a white [[Northern goshawk|Northern Goshawk]]. As a result, the Northern Goshawk was made the official state bird of [[Punjab, India]].<ref>{{Cite web|date=2017-09-14|title=Lost in flight: State bird of Punjab missing from the state!|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/punjab/lost-in-flight-state-bird-of-punjab-missing-from-the-state/story-SRHFwdiPKInSobd1xHoulL.html|access-date=2021-04-19|website=Hindustan Times|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=State Bird is BAAZ|url=http://www.dayandnightnews.com/2011/05/baaz-is-back-as-punjabs-state-bird|url-status=usurped|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213412/http://www.dayandnightnews.com/2011/05/baaz-is-back-as-punjabs-state-bird/|archive-date=14 July 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://sikhri.org/articles/baj-the-hawk-and-the-sikhs | title=Baj: The Hawk and the Sikhs &#124; Harinder Singh &#124; SikhRI Articles }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283674441 |doi=10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199756551.001.0001 |via=[[ResearchGate]]|title=When Sparrows Became Hawks |year=2011 |last1=Dhavan |first1=Purnima |isbn=978-0-19-975655-1 }}</ref>

In Korea, from the early [[Joseon]] period, hawks and other birds of prey were associated with a branch of government known as the Imperial Censorate, suggesting the qualities of courage and a keen sense of justice. Artists such as [[Chŏng Hongnae]] specialised in portraying hawks for royalty, and his ''Hawk at Sunrise'' is in the collection of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.<ref>{{Citation |last=Attributed to Jeong Hong-Rae 정홍래 鄭弘來 (Korean, born 1720) |title=Hawk at Sunrise |date= |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/860960 |access-date=2025-04-18}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote|Hawks}}
{{Wiktionary|hawk}}
* [http://ibc.lynxeds.com/family/hawks-eagles-accipitridae Hawks and eagles (Accipitridae)] information, videos, photos and sounds at the Internet Bird Collection
* {{Cite Americana|wstitle=Hawk |short=x}}
* {{Cite EB1911|short=x|wstitle=Hawk|volume=13|pages=94–95}}
* {{Cite NSRW|short=x|wstitle=Hawk}}

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[[Category:Birds of prey]]
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[[Category:Bird common names]]