ID Keys: Two color morphs, a dark and a light. Light is dark
above, white below. Dark morph has completely dark plumage.
The
Short-tailed Hawk is a tropical hawk that only reaches the U.S. in the
southern half of Florida. Vagrants have also been spotted in extreme
southern Texas and Arizona. Their range extends southward in to much
of Mexico, Central America, and much of South America. Short-tailed
Hawks have very different dietary preferences than other Buteo hawks, with a
strong preference for feeding on small birds.
Habitat
Typically found in edge habitat where
large open expanses of grassland, wetland, or farmland meet forests.
Diet
Mostly feeds on small birds, but they will
also occasionally feed on rodents, small snakes, lizards, frogs, and large
insects.
Behavior
Typically hunts by slowly gliding or
circling, diving after prey when spotted. They will often search for
prey from a relatively high flight of a few hundred feet.
Nesting
The nest of a Short-tailed Hawk is a
large platform of sticks, with moss, small twigs, or leafy branches used to
line the nest. Both sexes help to construct the nest, although the
male primarily just brings nest material while the female actually builds
the nest. The female alone incubates the eggs, but both sexes will
help to raise the young.
Song
Long clear scream, as well as shorter
high-pitched calls and screams.
Migration
Many Short-tailed Hawks are permanent
residents. However, those in the northern part of their Florida range
typically move to the southern part of the Florida peninsula for the winter.
Some Mexican populations may also be migratory.
Broad-winged Hawk,
Swainson's Hawk,
White-tailed Hawk. The Short-tailed Hawk is the smallest and most compact of these four buteos, with broad slightly bowed wings, a short tail, and a habit of soaring high over woodland edges; light birds show crisp white underparts with dark flight feathers, while dark birds can appear almost black. Broad-winged Hawk is also compact, but has broader paddle-shaped wings, heavier barring across the chest and tail, and usually a chunkier, more woodland-hawk look. Swainson's Hawk is noticeably longer-winged and longer-tailed, with a slimmer pointed-wing silhouette, pale belly, and contrasting dark bib in light morph adults. White-tailed Hawk is larger and broader-winged than all of them, with a strikingly white tail crossed by a bold dark terminal band, very white underparts, and often a hovering or slow buoyant flight over open prairie. In flight, wing shape and tail pattern are especially useful here: Short-tailed looks short and rounded, Broad-winged looks broad and chunky, Swainson’s looks long and tapered, and White-tailed shows the unmistakable bright white tail.
