If you’ve ever seen a hawk majestically soaring through the sky and wondered how long it would remain in your area, you’re not alone. As avid bird watchers know, raptors like hawks are fascinating creatures that capture our imagination.
In this article, we’ll explore everything you need to know about the migratory and territorial behaviors of these mesmerizing birds of prey.
If you’re short on time, here’s a quick answer to your question: Most hawks are migratory and only stay in one area for the breeding season or winter. However, some species establish permanent territories that they occupy year-round.
The Migration Patterns of Hawks
When Hawks Migrate
Most hawks in North America are migratory, meaning they travel between breeding and wintering grounds each year. The timing of migration can vary depending on the species, but generally occurs in the spring and fall.
In the spring, hawks migrate north to their breeding grounds, with the peak migration occurring between March and May. Some early migrating species like Rough-legged Hawks begin moving north as early as February.
Other species like Broad-winged Hawks wait until mid-April to early May before heading north.
In the fall, hawks migrate south to their wintering grounds, with most species migrating between September and November. Peak fall migration occurs in mid-October for many species. Some hawks like Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks begin migrating south as early as August.
Species like Rough-legged Hawks migrate late, not heading south until December.
Why Hawks Migrate
Hawks migrate primarily due to changes in food availability and weather. By moving between breeding and wintering grounds, hawks can find optimal habitat and food resources during each season.
In spring, hawks migrate north to take advantage of increasing daylight, milder temperatures and plentiful food like small mammals, birds and insects to raise young. Their breeding grounds provide good nesting sites and abundant prey.
In fall, many hawks migrate south to warmer climates where food remains available even though days grow shorter. On their wintering grounds, hawks hunt rodents, small birds, reptiles, amphibians and even fish depending on the species.
Some hawks may stay year-round in an area if food is readily available. For example, Red-tailed Hawks and Red-shouldered Hawks can overwinter in northern areas if prey is abundant.
How Far Hawks Migrate
Migration distance varies widely among hawk species. Some species travel only short distances between breeding and wintering areas, while others embark on lengthy journeys of thousands of miles.
- Short-distance migrants like Broad-winged Hawks may travel only a few hundred miles between breeding and wintering ranges.
- Medium-distance migrants include species like Red-tailed Hawks that might migrate 500-1,000 miles each way.
- Long-distance migrants undertake epic journeys of 2,000 miles or more. The Peregrine Falcon holds the record for the longest hawk migration, traveling between nesting grounds in the Arctic to wintering areas in South America—a trip of 15,000 miles round trip!
In general, the smaller hawks like Sharp-shinned and Cooper’s Hawks migrate farther distances than larger hawks like Red-tailed Hawks. Larger hawks are better able to store fat and can therefore better survive colder winter temperatures farther north than smaller hawks.
| Hawk Species | Migration Distance |
|---|---|
| Sharp-shinned Hawk | 5,000 miles |
| Cooper’s Hawk | 3,500 miles |
| Red-tailed Hawk | 1,000 miles |
| Red-shouldered Hawk | 500 miles |
Tracking studies have given researchers amazing insight into the migration habits of many hawk species. Banding and satellite tracking technology have revealed the specific routes and timing of migrations, uncovering the incredible distances some species travel each year.
Hawks That Are Year-Round Residents
Red-Tailed Hawks
The red-tailed hawk is one of the most widespread and common hawks in North America. These majestic raptors can be found in a variety of habitats across the continent and do not migrate. Red-tails establish permanent territories that they occupy and defend throughout the year.
A mated pair will often use the same nesting site for many years, adding fresh material to the nest each season. Studies have shown red-tailed hawks exhibiting high site fidelity, with some remaining in the same general area for their entire lives.
The red-tail’s ability to thrive in close proximity to human development further enables it to maintain stable residency. These adaptable hawks nest on cell towers, office buildings, and highway overpasses in urban and suburban areas where their preferred tree nest sites are scarce.
A family group consisting of a breeding pair and offspring from previous years will work cooperatively to defend the territory and its resources. The presence of the red-tailed hawk helps keep rodent and other prey populations in balance year-round.
Harris’s Hawks
Native to the arid deserts and scrublands of the American Southwest and Mexico, Harris’s hawks are well-suited for making a permanent home in these dry environments. Social living in cooperative family groups allows Harris’s hawks to successfully hunt, defend territories, and provision young throughout the year without migrating.
A Harris’s hawk family may consist of up to 15 birds, with a dominant breeding pair, related and unrelated subordinate adults, and young from previous nestings. By working together, the group can effectively cover a large desert territory and capture prey too tricky or sizable for a single hawk.
Rodents, rabbits, and reptiles make up the bulk of their diet. Complex vocalizations and visual signals facilitate coordination during the hunt and at the nest.
Galapagos Hawks
The Galapagos hawk is endemic to the Galapagos Islands off Ecuador and has several distinctive adaptations that enable it to reside there year-round. With only eight major islands making up its entire range, this species exhibits very high site fidelity.
Banded Galapagos hawks have been observed occupying the same territory for over a decade.
Unlike many island species, the Galapagos hawk successfully secured its ecological niche and lacks major predators. It evolved smaller body size over time, reducing its food requirements. The hawk’s opportunistic feeding habits, from insects to young marine iguanas, allow it to thrive even when a preferred prey source declines.
The Galapagos hawk’s ability to live and breed without migrating was a key factor in its establishment as a unique island species.
The Breeding and Wintering Grounds of Migratory Hawks
Where Hawks Nest and Raise Young
Most hawks are migratory birds that breed in North America during the spring and summer before migrating south for the winter. The specific breeding grounds used by different hawk species depends on their habitat preferences and food sources.
For example, red-tailed hawks, one of the most widely distributed hawk species, nest in mixed open woodlands across most of North America. They build their stick nests high up in trees near meadows and grasslands where they hunt for small mammals like mice and voles.
In contrast, northern goshawks prefer large swaths of dense forest to build their nests and hunt birds and small mammals. Swainson’s hawks journey all the way from South America to breed in grasslands and farm country across western North America where they can find rodents and insects.
Other common breeding grounds for migratory hawks include temperate forests used by species like Cooper’s hawks and sharp-shinned hawks, wetland areas favored by northern harriers, and wide-open spaces like deserts where you can find red-tailed hawks and ferruginous hawks raising their young during the summer months.
Where Hawks Spend Their Winters
When autumn arrives, most migratory hawks fly south to their wintering grounds located primarily in the southern United States, Mexico, Central America, and northern South America. However, some species like rough-legged hawks and red-tailed hawks winter as far north as Canada if there is abundant food.
In their winter habitats, hawks frequent open environments where they can hunt, including grasslands, marshes, pastures, fields, deserts, and mixed woodlands. For instance, Swainson’s hawks overwinter in Argentina’s grasslands.
Ferruginous hawks spend winters hunting small mammals in the open countryside from the southern Prairies up to Mexico. And northern harriers migrate to habitats ranging from agricultural fields in California to coastal marshes in the Gulf Coast and south to Panama.
Since they are not breeding during winter, hawks are generally more solitary at this time of year. However, some species may still be seen soaring and foraging together in ideal hunting habitats. The abundant food sources found on their wintering grounds allow hawks to focus on hunting to meet their daily energy needs until spring arrives and they can make their long journeys back to nest again.
The Territorial Behavior of Hawks
Defending Nesting Territories
Hawks are extremely territorial during the nesting season. They will aggressively defend their nesting areas against intruders to protect their eggs and hatchlings. The size of a hawk’s territory varies by species, but generally ranges from around 25 to over 600 acres.
Red-tailed hawks, for example, typically maintain territories of about 250 acres during nesting season.
To mark their territories, hawks will engage in displays like aerial acrobatics, vocalizations, and even physical attacks. Common defensive behaviors include diving at intruders, striking with talons, and clutching and grappling.
Conspecifics (members of the same species) are the most common territorial intruders, but hawks may attack other birds of prey, mammals, and even humans that get too close to the nest. This aggressive behavior starts several weeks before eggs are laid and continues until the young are fledged.
Wintering Territorial Behavior
During winter, hawks are generally less territorial. However, some species still defend winter foraging territories to ensure access to adequate food resources. For example, red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and Cooper’s hawks will defend territories around productive hunting areas like wetlands.
The defended winter territories are larger than nesting territories and may range from about 60 acres for Cooper’s hawks to over 600 acres for red-tailed hawks.
Displays of winter territorial behavior are usually less aggressive than during the breeding season. They may involve brief skirmishes and vocalizations to warn away intruders. However, serious aerial battles are rare since preserving energy is more important for overwinter survival.
Hawks may also forage on shared territories amicably during winter, only displaying aggression when defending prime hunting perches or competing over captured prey.
Interactions with Other Birds
Buteo hawks, including red-tailed hawks, red-shouldered hawks, and broad-winged hawks, are generally dominant over smaller raptors like kestrels and kites when defending territories. They will attack, chase, and attempt to drive off smaller competitors.
However, buteos are typically subordinate to larger raptors like eagles, ospreys, and peregrine falcons, avoiding conflicts with these stronger birds whenever possible.
Territorial disputes with conspecifics (members of the same species) are the most intense. In rare cases, these battles may even turn fatal. However, most contests involve displays like calling, aerial acrobatics, and aggression short of physical contact.
Even mated pairs may spar over territories, resolving the conflict after one bird retreats. After breeding season when territories dissolve, hawks are much more tolerant of conspecifics and may even roost communally.
Threats to Hawk Territories and Migrations
Habitat Loss
Habitat loss poses a major threat to hawks and their established territories. As natural areas are converted for human use through deforestation, urbanization, and agriculture, hawks lose the forests, wetlands, and open spaces they rely on.
According to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, habitat loss and degradation are the greatest threats facing North American breeding bird populations.
Most hawks are migratory and travel between breeding and wintering grounds. Loss of habitat along their migration routes threatens their ability to rest and refuel. Studies show that the survival rate of migratory birds, including hawks, drops by as much as 50% when they cannot find stopover habitat.
Climate Change
Climate change threatens to disrupt hawk migration patterns and breeding success. Rising temperatures cause environments to change more rapidly than hawks can adapt. Migrating hawks depend on timing their movement with availability of prey and vegetation cycles at pit stops along their flyways.
As climate impacts shift timing of seasons, flowers blooming, and insect hatches, hawks struggle to properly fuel up.
In their breeding grounds, climate change leads to increased frequency of extreme weather events like droughts, storms, and flooding. These events negatively impact nesting habitat and availability of rodent and small mammal prey that hawks feed on.
Research in the Journal of Applied Ecology found merlin falcons produced 34-53% fewer offspring in years with heavy rainfall during breeding season.
Wind Turbines
The growth of wind power poses risks to migratory hawks. Wind turbines do not recognize flyways and present deadly collision hazards. One 2013 study by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimated between 140,000 and 328,000 birds are killed annually by collisions with wind turbines.
Raptors made up roughly 15% of deaths.
Wind farm site selection and micrositing turbines away from established flyways and breeding areas can reduce risk. Improved turbine lighting schemes, use of deterrents, and temporary shutdowns during peak migration also help mitigate dangers to hawks.
Conclusion
In summary, most hawks are migratory birds that occupy temporary breeding and wintering grounds. However, some hawks establish permanent territories that they defend year-round. A hawk’s migratory path and territorial range are influenced by food availability, habitat, and interactions with other hawks.
Unfortunately, human activity continues to threaten the ability of hawks to migrate and settle across their ancestral ranges. Learning more about how long hawks stay in one area provides key insights into protecting these captivating raptors for generations to come.
