Chapter 4: Wildlife Conservation and Management
Birds of Prey

Birds of prey feed on other birds or mammals. Examples are eagles, falcons, and owls. Birds of prey are found throughout North America. All of these birds are protected.

Range Maps

All animal descriptions are accompanied by a map showing the animal's habitat range. The maps are color-coded as follows:

Threatened. Large, dark bird with white head and tail, and yellow bill. Immature: brownish speckled with more white under wings and belly.

Habitat and Habits:
Found on lakes, rivers, and coastal areas. Makes a loud screech. Nests on cliffs or in trees; 1 - 3 pale blue eggs.

Large, dark bird. Immature: dark with white patches under wings and on tail.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in mountains, hills, and grasslands. Mostly quiet. Nests on cliffs, on ground, or in trees; 1 - 4 speckled eggs.

Small, colorful falcon with two black sideburns. Male has blue-gray wings; female has reddish-brown.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in a wide variety of open habitats. Makes a series of sharp shrill notes. No nesting material in natural or man-made cavity; 3 - 7 pinkish eggs with dark marks.

Endangered. Large, speckled brown falcon with bluish-gray back, darker head, and lighter neck and chest. Immature: streaked belly and breast.

Habitat and Habits:
Found near cliffs, urban, and coastal areas. Makes a high-pitched "ki-ki-ki-ki" call. Nests in cliffs; 3 - 4 white eggs.

Small, "crow-sized" hawk with short, rounded wings and long, narrow tail.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in broken forests and open woodlands. Makes a series of nasal, barking notes. Nests high in trees; 3 - 8 pale blue-green eggs with dark marks.

Male is grayish-brown with lighter underside. Female is larger and brown with streaked underside.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in fields, grasslands, and marshes. Generally quiet unless alarmed. Nests on ground; 3 - 9 pale blue eggs.

A large hawk with a red tail, white chest, white mottling on back, and usually a belly band. Wide color variation in species.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in a variety of open habitats. Makes a high-pitched descending scream. Nests on a platform of sticks in trees or on a rock ledge; 1 - 5 bluish-white eggs with dark marks.

Threatened. This "fish hawk" is dark above, white below with white head and black streak through eye.

Habitat and Habits:
Found around large lakes, rivers, and seacoasts. Makes a short, shrill whistle. Nests in trees, cliffs, or human structures; 2 - 4 white, pink, or buff eggs, blotched with brown.

Light brown with white heart-shaped face, dark eyes, and white breast.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in fields, grasslands, deserts, and suburban areas. Makes a screeching call. Nests in abandoned buildings, tree hollows, and holes in ground; 4 - 7 white eggs.

Large, grayish-brown with cross-barring on neck and chest, striping on belly; dark eyes and no ear tufts.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in low, densely forested areas and wooded swamps. Makes "hoo-hoo-hoohaa" call and also screams. Nests in tree cavities; 2 - 4 white eggs.

Small, light reddish-brown or grayish owl with ear tufts and yellow eyes.

Habitat and Habits:
Found in woods, swamps, and suburban areas. Makes whining call. Nests in tree cavities; 3 - 5 white eggs.

Large, grayish with brown specks; yellow eyes and ear tufts.

Habitat and Habits:
Found almost everywhere. Makes a rhythmic hooting call. Lives in nests abandoned by other birds and small mammals; 1 - 4 white eggs.

Large, all-dark bird with long tail and small, bare, reddish head.

Habitat and Habits:
Found mainly in deciduous forests, open country, and dumps. Usually silent. Nests on bare ground, in tree hollows, on cliff ledges, or in old buildings; 1 - 3 dull white eggs with dark marks.

North American Flyways

There are four major North American flyways—the Pacific, the Central, the Mississippi, and the Atlantic Flyways. The migration route is from the northern breeding grounds to the southern wintering grounds. The lanes of heaviest concentration conform very closely to major topographical features, following the coasts, mountain ranges, and principal river valleys. Except along the coasts, the flyway boundaries are not always sharply defined.

Pacific Flyway
Central Flyway
Mississippi Flyway
Atlantic Flyway