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Kansas Raptors Third Edition ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ A POCKET GUIDE TO Kansas Raptors Third Edition ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ Text by Bob Gress and Vanessa Avara Photos by Bob Gress Funded by Westar Energy Green Team, Glenn Springs Holdings Inc., Occidental Chemical Corporation, and the Chickadee Checkoff Published by the Friends of the Great Plains Nature Center Table of Contents • Introduction • 2 • Species Accounts Vultures ■ Turkey Vulture • 4 ■ Black Vulture • 6 Osprey ■ Osprey • 8 Kites, Harriers, Eagles and Hawks ■ Mississippi Kite • 10 ■ Northern Harrier • 12 ■ Golden Eagle • 14 ■ Bald Eagle • 16 ■ Sharp-shinned Hawk • 18 ■ Cooper’s Hawk • 20 ■ Northern Goshawk • 22 Bald Eagle ■ Broad-winged Hawk • 24 ■ Red-shouldered Hawk • 26 ■ Red-tailed Hawk • 28 ■ Swainson’s Hawk • 30 ■ Rough-legged Hawk • 32 ■ Ferruginous Hawk • 34 American Kestrel Falcons ■ Cover Photo: American Kestrel • 36 Ferruginous Hawk ■ Merlin • 38 ■ Prairie Falcon • 40 ■ Peregrine Falcon • 42 ■ Gyrfalcon • 44 Barn Owl ■ Barn Owl • 46 Typical Owls ■ Eastern Screech-Owl • 48 ■ Great Horned Owl • 50 ■ Snowy Owl • 52 ■ Burrowing Owl • 54 ■ Barred Owl • 56 ■ Long-eared Owl • 58 ■ Short-eared Owl • 60 ■ Northern Saw-whet Owl • 62 Burrowing Owl • Rare Kansas Raptors • 64 ■ Swallow-tailed Kite ■ White-tailed Kite ■ Harris’s Hawk ■ Gray Hawk ■ Western Screech-Owl ■ Flammulated Owl • Falconry • 65 • The Protection of Raptors • 66 • Pocket Guides • 68 Glenn Springs Holdings, Inc. Chickadee Checkoff 1 Introduction Raptors are birds of prey. They include hawks, eagles, falcons, owls and vultures. They are primarily hunters or scavengers and feed on meat or insects. Most raptors have talons for killing their prey and a hooked beak for tearing meat. Of the 53 species of raptors found in the United States and Canada, 30 occur regularly in Kansas and an additional six species are considered rare. The purpose of this field guide is to help you identify and gain an appreciation for these magnificent birds that live and pass through our state. It isn’t meant for a bookshelf as much as it is for your pocket or glove box. Keep it handy. Hawks and owls Great Horned Owl have only been pro- tected since 1972. Prior to that time, it was commonly believed these birds were at best, nuisances and at worst, in competition with humans for wild game. We now know fluctuations in game animals are most attributable to habitat 2 changes. Raptors play a vital role in con- suming rodents and carrion, keeping the Kansas ecosystem in balance. All birds belong to the Class Aves. Kansas’ raptors are divided into two Orders of birds. The raptors in this book are arranged according to the following classifications. Class AVES: Birds • Order FALCONIFORMES: Diurnal Birds of Prey ■ Family CATHARTIDAE: New World Vultures ■ Family PANDIONIDAE: Osprey ■ Family ACCIPITRIDAE: Kites, Harriers, Eagles, and Hawks ■ Family FALCONIDAE: Caracaras and Falcons • Order STRIGIFORMES: Owls ■ Family TYTONIDAE: Barn Owls ■ Family STRIGIDAE: Typical Owls 3 ■ Turkey Vulture 4 Turkey Vulture Cathartes aura Comments: Vultures are sometimes mistakenly referred to as buzzards. They are called Turkey Vultures because their bare, red heads resemble the heads of Wild Turkeys. In flight, they are easily recognized from the V-angle (dihedral) in which they hold their wings. Their nests are located on the ground in rocky alcoves, hollow trees and in abandoned farm buildings. Young Turkey Vultures have black heads and are sometimes mistakenly identi- fied as Black Vultures. Distribution: Turkey Vultures are commonly seen soaring overhead throughout Kansas during the warmer months of the year. They winter in the southern United States and Mexico and are found throughout most of South America. Food: Turkey Vultures, unlike most birds, can find food by smell. They commonly eat road- killed animals, either freshly killed or sun- ripened. Birders call Turkey Vultures “TV’s” so road-killed animals then become “TV dinners.” Measurements: Length: 24-28 inches Wingspread: 63-71inches Weight: 3.5-5.3 pounds 5 ■ Black Vulture 6 Black Vulture Coragyps atratus Comments: The Black Vulture has similar habits to the Turkey Vulture. They will share the same roosts and, like Turkey Vultures, are often seen with wings outstretched to absorb the heat of the sun. They are distinguished from Turkey Vultures by their shorter tail and their short, broad wings with white wing tips. Adult birds have a dark gray or black head. Distribution: Black Vultures were apparently common when buffalo roamed the Plains. Since settlement, they were considered a rare visitor to southeastern Kansas. However, increased sightings may indicate their return to the state. Black Vultures are found in the southeastern United States through most of South America. Food: Black Vultures are scavengers and eat car- rion, even if badly decomposed. Unlike Turkey Vultures, Black Vultures have a poor sense of smell and commonly follow Turkey Vultures to carcasses. Measurements: Length: 23-28 inches Wingspread: 55-63 inches Weight: 3.8-5.1 pounds 7 ■ Osprey 8 Osprey Pandion haliaetus Comments: The common name of “fish hawk” is well-deserved. No other raptor possesses greater skills or determination to capture fish. Their feet-first, crashing dives, sometimes tak- ing them completely under the water, fol- lowed by lift-offs with a thrashing fish are spectacular to observe. Ospreys are uniquely adapted to this hunting style with dense, oily feathers, unusually long legs, highly curved talons and feet with bizarre, spiny pads that help grip slippery fish. Pesticides critically threatened the Osprey during the DDT era of the 1950s. Distribution: Ospreys are found nearly world- wide. In North America, they breed through- out most of Alaska, Canada, the northwestern U.S. and along the coasts. They are not known to nest in Kansas but are seen along lakes, reservoirs and rivers during the spring migration in April and May and the fall migration from September to mid-November. Food: Ospreys feed almost exclusively on fish by hovering and plunging feet-first into shallow water. Unusual prey items may include snakes, frogs, turtles and ducklings. Measurements: Length: 21-26 inches Wingspread: 59-67 inches Weight: 2.6-3.9 pounds 9 ■ Mississippi Kite 10 Mississippi Kite Ictinia mississippiensis Comments: With their long, pointed wings and long tails Mississippi Kites are sometimes mis- taken for falcons. In flight, they appear uniformly battleship gray with a light gray head that some- times appears nearly white. The eyes of adults are dark red. In flight, kites are a joy to watch. Circling, soaring and swooping with other kites they drift back and forth and sometimes remain aloft for hours. So graceful and effortless is their flight they appear to be attached to a string. Their nests are found in mature trees in shelterbelts, windbreaks, city parks, golf courses and residen- tial neighborhoods. They are known for their aggressive dives on intruders who venture too close to the nest site. Distribution: Mississippi Kites currently breed in the southern United States from central Arizona to the Atlantic Coast. They breed in Kansas in the southwestern and south-central part of the state. A few kites breed as far north as Salina. Most kites winter in central South America. Food: Kites are skilled at capturing cicadas and grasshoppers on the fly. They will also capture large insects on the ground. Occasionally, they feed on small birds, rodents, frogs and snakes. Measurements: Length: 12-15 inches Wingspread: 29-33 inches Weight: 8-13 ounces 11 male ■ Northern Harrier female 12 Northern Harrier Circus cyaneus Comments: No other Kansas hawk hunts with the low-level, buoyant, darting flight charac- teristic of the Northern Harrier. However, its flight is similar to that of the Short-eared Owl. Both can be found hunting open grasslands and marshes. The harrier is the only hawk with an owl-like facial disk. This face proba- bly assists the birds in hearing small mam- mals rustling through the grass. Male Northern Harriers are mostly pale gray with a white rump, and the females, approximately 50 percent larger, are mostly brown with a white rump. Distribution: Northern Harriers are found in all of North America except northern Canada and Alaska. They are commonly found in Kansas throughout the winter months. Occasionally, they remain through the sum- mer to nest on the ground in fields, grass- lands or marshes. Food: Northern Harriers usually feed on small to medium-sized mammals in open vegetation. They also eat ground-nesting birds, snakes, lizards, frogs and grasshoppers. Measurements: Length: 17-19 inches Wingspread: 41-46 inches Weight: 12-18 ounces 13 ■ Golden Eagle 14 Golden Eagle Aquila chrysaetos Comments: The Golden Eagle is the most abun- dant eagle in the world and is the largest avian raptor on North America’s western prairies. Its eyesight is estimated to be about 8 times better than humans’. It often hunts from the air and can make spectacular stoops, or dives, after running prey. Under the best of conditions, it is only capable of flying with prey that weighs about half its own body weight. Pairs often remain together for many years. If one dies, the other will readily accept a new mate. Wild eagles may live over 20 years. Distribution: The Golden Eagle is found throughout the northern hemisphere. In North America, it is commonly found in the western states. In Kansas, it may be seen statewide but is more commonly encountered in the west. Food: Golden Eagles feed primarily on mam- mals. Favorite prey includes jackrabbits, cot- tontails, prairie dogs and ground squirrels. Occasionally, they catch snakes and also feed on carrion. Measurements: Length: 27-33 inches Wingspread: 72-87 inches Weight: 7.5-14 pounds 15 ■ Bald Eagle 16 Bald Eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus Comments: With a white head and tail, dark body and seven-foot wingspan, a mature Bald Eagle is one of our most recognizable birds.
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