Living in woodlands, peaks, plains, and marshes, around 270 species of hawks are recognized. It is a large grasping bird found all over the earth excluding Antarctica. It is identified for its intense vision, pointed beak, and capacity to grab and take the life of its prey. Several categories of hawks are too in threat because of constant deforestation and climate change. Here are 22 different types of hawks found in different parts of the world,
Different Types Of Hawks
1. Red-tailed Hawk
With a petite broad red tail, this hawk got the name, Red-tailed Hawk. With a weight of 680-1586 grams and a height of 18-26 inches, this hawk is found habitually in the winters on the high buildings, trees, and cliffs of North America. These brown birds having a black-brown body with light striped bottom and large round wings, the Red-tailed Hawk nourishes creatures like squirrels, mice, rabbits, voles, tiny raccoons, and moles.
Having 20 years long life, this bird is known for its vision which is eight times more than humans helping them to search for their victim from 100 feet distance and also has three eyelids. Also, this hawk doesn’t move its eyes but its head to have a side glance.
Image Source: Wikimedia
2. Red-Shouldered Hawk
Living in suburban areas, deciduous forests, rivers, marshes, and wooden swamps of North America and a few regions of South America, Red-Shouldered Hawk is having a black-white feathery body with red wings and red-brown spots on the shoulder. This 15-24 inches high bird with a weight of 1-1.7 lb diets on various creatures like rodents, rabbits, amphibians, crayfish, reptiles, etc.
One of the beautiful types of hawks has an average lifespan of 15-19 years, this hawk flies at a speed of 18-34 mph but at the time of catching prey can fly even at 100 mph. Normally it is considered a wild bird having a monogamous relationship and reproduction period from March to July.
Image Source: Wikimedia
3. Northern Harrier
Having a resemblance to an owl, Northern Harrier is a hawk present in open lands, marshes, savannahs, fields, pastures, and grasslands of the Northern Hemisphere. With a body weight of 300-750 grams and a height of 21-25 inches, it has a standard-sized, slim body, round tail, and wide wings. Living maximum up to 16 years and 5 months, males are usually grey while females are brown and nourish largely on snakes, frogs, tiny birds, and many more small mammals. Being very intellectual as well as hazardous, it brutally kills its victim with its long and pointed claws.
Image Source: Wikimedia
4. Cooper’s hawk
Named by Charles Lucien Bonaprte in 1828 as to tribute William Cooper, Cooper’s hawk is a monogamous bird. With a length of 36-40 cm and a weight of 218-412 grams, Cooper’s hawk can be seen in forests, woodlands, fields, wetlands, and farmlands of North America. Feeding mostly on rabbits, rats, fishes, mice, squirrels, and chipmunks, Cooper’s hawk flies at speed of 30 to 40 mph.
Females build nests using twigs, barks, and various tree substances and have a body that is 20% larger and 40% heavier than that of males. This violent hawk having a blue-gray body kills usually mice, bats, squirrels, and many more small birds for intake.
Image Source: Wikimedia
5. Sharp-Shinned Hawk
With a sharp and thin keel at end of log legs, Sharp-Shinned Hawk is found in the woodlands and the forests of Central, South, and North America, Greater Antilles. With a weight of 87-218 grams, Sharp-Shinned Hawk has a 9.4-13.4 inches long body and has a life expectancy of 13 years. With a small blue-gray body, orange or red striped plumage and short, round wings this bird appears extremely cute and adorable and feeds mostly on other tiny birds and sometimes on creatures like bats, lizards, snakes, rodents, and frogs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
6. Broad-winged Hawk
Having 34-44 cm in length and 265-560 gram weight, Broad-winged Hawk resides habitually in the mountains, coastlines, and ridges of North America and South America. With the stripy tail, brown back, banned under part, and short, wide wings; it sometimes appears cute and a little scary also. For its life of almost 12 years, it feeds mostly on frogs, shrews, frogs, lizards, and many other small mammals.
Image Source: Wikimedia
7. Swainson’s hawk
Residing in the deserts and grasslands of North America and South America, Swainson’s hawk weighs 0.5-1.7 kg and has a length of 17-22 inches. Living a 16-19 year long life, it looks really striking and cute with a slim body and slender wings. With a dark back and gullet, striped tail, and whitish-black or brown under part, it flies at a speed of 22-28 mph. It loves feeding on a variety of tiny creatures like bugs, reptiles, and amphibians.
Image Source: Wikimedia
8. Rough-legged Hawk
With a weight of 1.5-20.5 inches and a body length of 47-52 cm, Rough-legged Hawk has some dark and light-colored patches over its body. With a life of 19 years, this bird lives in croplands, marshes, grasslands, Arctic Coasts, and Coastal plains of Russia, Europe, and North America. Only 10% of hawks comprise dark spots with a tail completely black. While the light face hawks include light tails with dark bands at the edges. It feeds on minute birds and animals including lemmings and voles.
Image Source: Wikimedia
9. Northern Goshawk
Weighing 500-2200 grams, Northern Goshawk grows up to 46-69 cm in length and is a medium-sized bird. More than 10 classes of Goshawk are found in Europe, Asia, and America with life anticipation of 19 years. Also, feminine Goshawk has a better body than male and has bluish-grey to brown plumage on the upper body. With a wingspan of 35-50 inches, Northern Goshawk can take off at a speed of 61 mph and is a meat eater it nourishes typically birds, hares, and squirrels. It is one of the most amazing types of hawks in the world.
Image Source: Wikimedia
10. Ferruginous Hawk
The prevalent hawk of North America is Ferruginous Hawk and the female hawks are even larger than males. Weighing 980-2030 grams, Ferruginous Hawk grows 50-66 cm in length residing in plains, gorges, and farming terrains of the Central and Western parts of North America. It is a meat eater and feeds on squirrels, birds, snakes, mice, and other reptiles. With brilliant vision, it can witness its prey from an expanse of 100 feet and can leap at 150 miles per hour.
Also Read: 10 Best Horned Animals In The World
Image Source: USFWS Pacific Southwest Region
11. Crested Goshawk
Crested Goshawk scientifically. Known as Accipiter trivirgatus is one of the types of hawks from the tropical Asian region. The bird species is closely related to the diurnal raptors such as eagles, buzzards (or buteos), and harriers, therefore they have been kept in the family of Accipitridae. Talking about their appearance, they have broad winds along with a long tails. The body length can grow between 30 to 46 cm in length where females are larger than males.
Image Source: Wikimedia
12. Black-faced Hawk
Black-faced Hawk is a medium-sized black and white hawk species that looks very similar to the White Hawk, however, they are smaller and can be differentiated by the differences in head pattern. The body length can grow between 38 to 41 cm and the average weight is between 295 to 315 gms. Talking about its appearance, th adult hawk species has a white upper back, head, neck, and underparts. The crown and lower nape is streaked black. Black-faced Hawks can be seen in the regions of Guianas and Amazonia (N Amazon Basin of Brazil), however, they are also identified in the regions of Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Image Source: Nick Athanas
13. Zone-Tailed Hawk
The Zone-tailed hawk species scientifically known as Buteo albonotatus is a medium-sized hawk species that are mostly seen in the dry and warm park of America. The flying style and plumage are very similar to the turkey vulture. The hawk species feed on mammals, birds, reptiles, and amphibians. The body length of Zone Tailed Hawk species is between 17.7 to 22.1 inches and the average weight is between 21.4 to 23.5 oz.
Image Source: Wikimedia
14. Gray Hawk
The Gray Hawk is a small raptor mostly seen in the regions of open country and forest edges. It is also known as Grey-lined Hawk and loves to breed in the southwestern United States and Mexico south to Bolivia, Brazil, and central Argentina. The body length of a grey hawk can grow between 46 to 61 cm in length and the average weight is upto 475 gms. Gray hawk species mainly feeds on lizards and snakes, however, it can also eat some mammals like birds and frogs.
Image Source: Wikimedia
15. Pale Chanting Goshawk
Pale Chanting Goshawk is one of the types of hawk species that belongs to the family Accipitridae. The body length of a Pale Chanting Goshawk is upto 55 cm in length with a total wingspan of 110 cm. The hawk species primarily feeds on small mammals, lizards, birds, large insects, and carrion. It was earlier known as “Mexican Goshawk,” and very closely related to the members of the genus Buteo.
Image Source: Wikimedia
16. Hawaiian Hawk
The Hawaiian Hawk is one of the types of hawk species that come from the forests of Hawaii and is popular as a symbol of royalty. It is also known as Buteo Solitarius and can be seen in two-carrying color patterns. The first is a dark, brownish color and the second one is a lighter, off-white color. Male and female Hawaiian Hawks look alike, however, the male is slightly larger than the females. The diet of Hawaiian hawks sticks to small rodents, insects, grubs, and even birds that are smaller than them.
Image Source: Wikimedia
17. Rufous Crab Hawk
The rufous crab hawk, whose scientific name is Buteogallus aequinoctialis, is a species of haw that belongs to the family Accipitridae. It is also known as rufous crabhawk and is found across the South American coastline, from eastern Venezuela, Trinidad and Tobago, to southern Brazil. The hawk species prefers to thrive in subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical mangrove forests. It was formerly published by the German naturalist Johann Friedrich Gmelin in his revised and expanded edition of Carl Linnaeus’s Systema Naturae in the year 1788. The primary diet is exclusively crabs, taken at the burrow’s entrance.
Image Source: Nick Athanas
18. Harris’s Hawk
The Harris’s hawk is a medium-sized bird of prey found in the Americas. The unique part is that they hunt in packs consisting of tolerant groups, while other raptors often hunt alone. The body length of Harris hawk species is up to 46 to 59 cm, and the average weight is up to 546 to 1633 grams. The average lifespan of Harris hawk species is between 14 and 25 years in the wild. The breeding range includes the southwestern United States, south to Chile, central Argentina, and Brazil. The primary diet includes small creatures, including birds, lizards, mammals, and large insects.
Image Source: Wikimedia
19. African Harrier Hawk
The African harrier-hawk, also known as the harrier hawk or gymnogene, is a bird of prey that can grow up to 60–66 centimetres in length. The breeding range of haw species is most of Africa south of the Sahara. This medium-sized raptor’s upperparts, head, and breast are pale grey; however, the belly is white with fine, dark barring. The tail is black with a single broad white band and a bare facial patch of variable colour, usually red or yellow. The dietary habit is omnivorous in natives and feeds on the fruit of the oil palm as well as hunting small vertebrates. They also feed on feral pigeons, house sparrows, and eastern grey squirrels.
Image Source: Wikimedia
20. Ridgway’s Hawk
The Ridgway’s Hawk is a bird of prey that belongs to the family Accipitridae and is endemic to the island of Hispaniola, both Haiti and the Dominican Republic in the Caribbean. These types of hawks species is critically endangered because of habitat destruction and human persecution in the Dominican Republic. The primary diet includes a variety of prey, such as large insects, small birds, and bats. The average lifespan of Ridgway’s Hawk is up to 24.5 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikimedia
21. Common Black Hawk
The common black hawk is one of the types of hawk species that belongs to the family Accipitridae, which also includes eagles, hawks, and Old World vultures. The body length is between 43 and 53 cm, and the average weight is up to 793 to 1200 grams. The average lifespan of common black hawk species is 13.5 years in the wild. The breeding range of hawl species is in the warmer parts of the Americas, from the southwestern United States through Central America to Venezuela, Peru, Trinidad, and the Lesser Antilles. The primary diet includes rabies, but it will also take small vertebrates and eggs.
Image Source: gailhampshire
22. Eurasian Sparrowhawk
The Eurasian sparrowhawk is one of the he types of hawks that hunts woodland birds. Talking about their appearance, they have short, broad wings and a long tail that help them adapt to manoeuvring through trees. Female species of Eurasian sparrowhawks are 25% larger than males and weigh up to twice as much. The hawk species is widespread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa. During the winter season, it moved to northern Europe, and Asia moved south. The average lifespan of the Eurasian Sparrowhawk is between 4 and 20 years in the wild.
Image Source: Wikimediacom
These are the 22 different types of hawks in the world. Kindly share and do post your comments.
