Information
Hawks
are carnivores (meat eaters) who belong to the category
of birds known as raptors -- birds of prey. They have
strong, hooked beaks; their feet have three toes pointed
forward and one turned back; and their claws, or talons,
are long, curved and very sharp. Prey is killed with
the long talons and, if it is too large to swallow whole,
it is torn to bite-sized pieces with the hawk's beak.
Based on general body shape and flight habits, hawks
are classified into three different groups (genera):
the Accipiters, the Falcons and the Buteos. The Sharp-shinned
Hawk, the Cooper's Hawk and the Goshawk are Accipiters.
They have long tails and short, rounded wings that enable
them to dart through and around trees in pursuit of
other birds, their principal prey. Typically, they fly
low with a series of rapid wing beats followed by a
brief period of sailing, then another series of wing
beats. Accipiters are associated with brush and timbered
areas.
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