Harris's Hawk: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Hawks and Falcons · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Harris's hawks hunt in teams of two to six, rare for raptors. Birds take turns flying ahead to scout until prey is found.
2. They spread around a target and flush it out, often chasing it on foot thanks to their long legs.
3. Every group has a pecking order. The grown-up female is the boss, then the adult male, then the young from earlier years.
4. A pack can bring down an adult black-tailed jackrabbit weighing more than 2,000 g.
5. Trained Harris's hawks have been used to clear unwanted pigeons from London's Trafalgar Square and from the Wimbledon tennis courts.

The quiz

1. How many hawks hunt together?

• Always just one
• Over fifty
• Two to six (correct)
• Exactly twelve

They hunt in cooperative packs of two to six.

2. How do they chase prey after flushing it out?

• Often on foot (correct)
• Only by diving from great height
• By swimming
• They never chase it

They often chase the animal on foot thanks to their long legs.

3. Who is at the top of a group?

• The adult male
• The mature female (correct)
• The youngest chick
• The oldest male from last year

The mature female is the top individual.

4. Which prey can a pack bring down?

• A full-grown deer
• A small beetle
• An adult wolf
• An adult black-tailed jackrabbit (correct)

A pack can bring down an adult black-tailed jackrabbit.

5. Where have trained Harris's hawks cleared pigeons?

• Trafalgar Square and Wimbledon (correct)
• Times Square and Central Park
• The Eiffel Tower
• The Colosseum

They were released to disperse pigeons in Trafalgar Square and at Wimbledon.

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