Dumb Post About Harris’s Hawks
Intelligent, deadly pack hunters: raptors.
Harris’s Hawk is the only raptor (i.e., bird of prey) that hunts together as a pack using teamwork to take down their prey. Most birds of prey are solo hunters, and if they’re social at all, it’s limited to mated pairs getting together to raise their young before going their separate ways.
Even Bald Eagles (the America Bird), who are monogamous and will raise children with the same mate year after year, are pretty much loners most of the time. They get together in the spring, have some chicks, and then fly away like “see you next year, honey.” So while it’s remarkable that they’re able to find their mate again every year and they’re great parents, they’re not really that social.
(These lovebirds do win the prize for best at long-distance relationships)
Harris’s Hawks, on the other hand, are always together. Living and working together to survive. That’s pretty amazing. Not only are the coordinating hunting together, but they’re also coordinating their attacks from the air.
(literal wingman)
Harris’s Hawks live in South America, Central America, and the South Western US (Arizona and Texas). Since they aren’t that big, they eat a lot of little things, birds, lizards, small mammals, and giant insects. But because they have figured out how to hunt in groups, they can take down larger prey. In fact, in the Northern part of their range (Arizona and Texas), their favorite food is the desert cottontail, which weighs about 1.8 lbs. They’ve also been known to take down prey weighing over 2lbs like jackrabbits (which weigh from 3 to 6 lbs and can run up to 40 miles an hour).
( Run Rabbit, Run Rabbit)
Why is that so impressive? Well, the males only weigh about (1.204 to 1.874 lb), while the adult female average is (2.269 lb). 2lbs max is pretty small. That rabbit they’re chasing weighs about as much as they do or more and is hella fast. Imagine killing something that’s almost the same size as you are or bigger using only your feet. That’s hard.
They have the tools to do it, bigger powerful beaks and large deadly claws:
(look at the size of its claws compared to the rest of its body)
(just like it’s distant dinosaur ancestors: murder feet)
However, as with Jurassic Park’s fictional raptors, what makes these girls dangerous is the power of teamwork. The first Hawk flies right for the prey. It sees the danger, it runs, and that’s when the attack comes, not from the back but from the side and the other raptor it didn’t even know was there. (Wanna see?)
(clever girls)
Often called the “Wolves of the Sky,” the Harris Hawk not only hunts in packs like wolves but lives in family groups. The “alpha” hawk as it were (alpha theory of dominance isn’t real) is the big female, or you know mom.
(Mom raises her babies with the help of her family, in their Sonora-Arizona range they nest in cactus)
The babies don’t “leave the nest” as soon as they outgrow their fluffy murder muppet stage. The young from previous years stick around and make up the pack. The hierarchy goes Mom, Dad ( other Dad if she has two male mates) older siblings, and younger siblings.
(They also like to stand on top of each other to form a hawk family tower)
The pack size ranges from 2 - 7 birds, and this family not only hunts together but takes care of the nest as a team with siblings looking out for their new baby brothers and sisters. While the babies will be ready to fly in about 2 months, they will stay with their parents pack for up to three years before heading out to start families of their own.
Because these hawks are intelligent and social, they have become super popular among falconers.
(see what I mean about them being small, if the Bald Eagle is the T-Rex of the skies, these really are the raptors)
Also, the babies are adorable:
(well I think they’re cute anyway)
These hawks are the closest you’ll get to Jurassic Park. Intelligent, pack-hunting raptors. If you’d like to see them in action, you can visit a pack at the Arizona Sonoran Desert Museum, which has flying demonstrations daily in the winter (you know, when the pandemic is over *this post is from 2020*).
Just remember:
And most importantly: They Hunt with the Pack
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