Of all the species of birds I am not seeing today on my snow-covered farm in southeastern Ohio, perhaps none has a more interesting hunting strategy than the Harris' hawk.
Did you know that Harris' hawks hunt cooperatively in packs composed of family members? It's true. The hunting groups may number as many as a half-dozen birds and they fly in one or two groups until potential prey is flushed, then all pursue it. When prey is captured and killed, it is shared. This type of cooperation is very rare in birds of prey.
Today I am thinking about the Harris' hawk—yet another bird I am not seeing right this very moment. I have seen them recently, however. This distant one (above) I photographed at Estero Llano Grande State Park near Weslaco, Texas.
Cool birds. Love that rusty shoulder patch.
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ReplyDeleteHappy Thanksgiving from Texas....
Troy and Martha
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Thanks TTs!
ReplyDeleteRight back at ya from Ohio!
BOTB
My husband and I lived on Laguna Atascosa NWR in south Texas for a few years in the 90s (he was the manager there). Best birding in all of America (not that we're biased or anything!). Oh, to see a green jay, roseate spoonbill or scissor-tailed flycatcher out our living room window again. Those were the days!
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