Red-tailed Hawk
Photo by Matt Valencic

Searching for winter raptors is done from the comfort of your car. Just drive around appropriate habitats, find safe places to stop, then start looking! Some raptors are year-round residents, like Red-tailed, Red-shouldered and Cooper’s Hawks. Others, like Northern Harrier’s, Rough-legged Hawks and Short-eared Owls, arrive here in November/December from their breeding grounds in Canada or the arctic tundra. Get to know their desired habitats and the time of day they hunt, then check eBird to learn where they are being seen (use EXPLORE Species Maps feature). Pack a lunch, grab a birding friend or three, then go ‘chasing’ raptors on a sunny, winter day.

Red-tailed Hawks are also year-round residents and can be found in many habitats, including forests, fields and edges.  They are commonly seen during winter, perched in trees along highways. They are easily identified by a mostly white breast and belly with obvious ‘belly band’ of darker feathers.  Prey is mostly small to medium size mammals that they find by perching in trees, on telephone poles, or soaring high above open areas.