| Hawks in Alaska | Length | Weight | Identification(Color) | Diet/Favorite Food |
| Sharp-Shinned Hawk | 9.4-13.4 in (24-34 cm) | 3.1-7.7 oz (87-218 g) | This hawk has a slaty blue-gray upper body, with narrow, horizontal red-orange bars on the breast. | Mostly small birds and animals. |
| Red-Tailed Hawk | 17.7-22.1 in (45-56 cm) to 19.7-25.6 in (50-65 cm) | 24.3-45.9 oz (690-1300 g) to 31.8-51.5 oz (900-1460 g) | This hawk has a rich brown upper body and pale below, with a streaked belly and, and a dark bar between shoulder and wrist. | Mostly small mammals, birds, reptiles |
| Rough-Legged Hawk | 18.5-20.5 in (47-52 cm) | 25.2-49.4 oz (715-1400 g) | These hawks are dark-brown in color with tails that are dark at the tip and pale at the base. | Mostly feeds on small animals such as lemmings and voles. |
| Northern Harrier | 18.1-19.7 in (46-50 cm) | 10.6-26.5 oz (300-750 g) | This hawk has a gray upper body and whitish lower body with black wingtips and a black-banded tail. | Mostly feeds on small to medium-sized animals. |
| Northern Goshawk | 20.9-25.2 in (53-64 cm) | 22.3-48.1 oz (631-1364 g) | This hawk has pale gray barred underparts and dark slate gray upper body. The color of the head is dark with a wide white stripe over the eye. | Mostly small to medium birds and animals. |
Hawks In Alaska
Sharp-shinned Hawk
Sharp-shinned adult Hawks have a blue-gray back with a red-orange breast. Their tails are marked with black bands. Females are one-third the size of males. They have long, square-ended tails, short, rounded wings, and tiny heads.
Sharp-Shinned Hawks like building nests, which are often lined with twigs and bark to offer adequate insulation for their eggs. These ferocious birds, on the other hand, are notorious for stealing and devouring nestlings.
They are highly elusive, however, they can be observed flying through open regions at the margins of woodlands.
They are quite fast and can sprint through deep woodlands to capture their food in flight, which is mainly songbirds.
The greatest time to observe one of these terrifying creatures is during their fall migration. They are particularly prevalent during the transitional seasons, when large numbers may be seen.
If you wish to observe these gorgeous birds, each of these locations is a fantastic starting point, especially in the fall. Because of their migratory habits, they may be found all across the nation.
They are sometimes observed grabbing tiny birds around feeders, but if you have problems with them in your backyard, remove the feeder for a few weeks.
Red-tailed Hawk
Throughout the year, they can be seen, generally sitting on high viewing points or hovering overhead. You’re likely to see these on roadside telephone poles on your everyday commute.
They have a white, creamy bottom with reddish-brown patterns and a prominent red-feather tail. Their large, rounded wings and short tail, which are typical of buteo hawks, may be seen in flight.
Nests are found in very tall trees, on cliff ledges, and even on large structures or towers. They deposit 2-3 blotched white eggs.
The Red-tailed Hawk’s high-pitched descending raspy-screech sound is frequently utilized in films to represent all raptors.
Small animals, birds, and reptiles are among their favorite foods. Listen for their distinctive raptor cry – it’s the same sound utilized in most movies and television shows for hawks and other birds of prey.
Rough-legged Hawk
The Rough-Legged Hawk is a proud and protective species that prioritizes nesting and mating. It is well-known for building nests high in the sky with a view of the world below.
Because other birds in the neighborhood are likely to irritate these birds, they construct their nests so high.
Because their sturdy nests are reused year after year, they are built to be extremely durable and require little maintenance.
The majority of Rough-legged Hawks’ prey is lemmings and voles. In places like West Virginia, voles, mice, ground squirrels, and other small animals supply winter prey.
They normally build their nests on a steep rock ledge and lay 3-5 light bluish-white eggs.
When hunting, they often fly up and face the wind, hovering and surveying the ground for prey.
Their buteo form is similar to that of the Red-tailed hawk, but their wings are longer and thinner. Rough-legged hawks have dark-brown markings, however, light and dark variations can be seen.
Northern Harrier
Northern Harriers resemble owls the most of any hawk species. To find prey, they rely largely on their acute hearing and vision.
These hawks are about the size of a crow or a goose, with long, wide wings. Their wings are frequently higher than their bodies when they fly in a v shape.
Males have a white rump patch and are grey on top and white on the bottom. Females have a brown coloration.
Small animals and birds are the main sources of food for Northern Harriers. Nests are built on the ground, surrounded by dense vegetation such as reeds, willows, and brushtails. They have 4-5 dull white eggs in their clutch.
Northern Goshawk
Northern goshawks are less gregarious than other hawks, making them more difficult to locate.
Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s hawks are cousins, albeit the Sharp-shinned is somewhat larger and more active.
Their eyes have a reddish-orange color with white stripes on top. Northern Goshawks build up to eight nests and lay 2-4 bluish-white eggs in each one.
They have the morphology of an accipiter, with short, broad wings and a long tail that allows them to fly fast when hunting small birds, which is their favored food.
Their fury falls on humans. People who approach their nests too closely have been reported to be attacked by northern goshawks.
Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks are their larger and more ferocious cousins. These hawks are between a crow and a goose in size.
They have short, wide wings and a long tail and are generally grey. They have golden eyes and a white line above their eyes.
Goshawks are found in huge areas of predominantly coniferous or mixed woodland. They hunt for food from high perches, and their diet consists of medium-sized birds and small animals.
They are difficult to discover since they reside in big forests and are quite secretive, and they may be violent if you come too close to a nest.
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