Ferruginous Hawk

Buteo regalis

The Ferruginous Hawk is the largest of the North American Hawks (Buteos) and is sometimes mistaken for an eagle. Their summer range includes the prairies and plateaus of the northern Rocky Mountains and western prairies of the USA and southern Canada. The Great Basin is also part of their summer range. They retreat south in winter to California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Kansas, Texas, and Mexico.

They are very versatile in hunting techniques and will take a very wide array of prey items, including birds and reptiles, but mammals comprise up to 90% of its food. Their favorite victims are jackrabbits, squirrels, and prairie dogs. Their hunting style is to sit patiently from a high perch until they spot a potential meal.

Science views this species as monotypic (i.e. no subspecies).

I first captured a mediocre image of this species on film back in 2001 at Bosque del Apache in New Mexico. I didn’t meet the species again until 2015. I found a nest in Oregon with four nearly grown chicks in a tree several hundred feet from the highway. Parked at the roadside, I waited for 45 minutes for the parent to return, and was rewarded with a feeding episode for only a few seconds before the older bird left again. I waited in my vehicle for another 45 minutes, but I did not see the parent return.

Sometime late 2022, the iconic nest I photographed in Oregon became so heavy, it broke the Juniper tree supporting it and fell to the ground. Estimates suggest it was over 300 pounds. Birder Rick Vetter recruited his friend and retired wildlife biologist, Howard Richburg to team up and ‘fix’ the tree. The story has a happy ending. The birds returned the following spring to rebuild their summer home and raise a new family. (Read Rick’s story <Here>.)