Sharp-Shinned Hawk

The smallest of the hawks to be found in North America, the Sharp-shinned Hawk, Accipiter striatus, is also one of the most common, with groups of ten thousand often concentrated in a small area.
There are subspecies of the Sharp-shinned Hawk, the likes of the Plain-breasted Hawk; Rufous-thighed Hawk; and White-breasted Hawk; these birds though are found in South and Central America.

An incredible small hawk, the male Sharp-shinned Hawk is only 30cm long, with a wingspan of 58cm. The female is larger by a few centimetres, as with many hawks, and can weigh up to twice as much, 110g, as the male.

Sharp-Shinned Hawk - Dario Sanches - CC-BY-SA-2.0

The Sharp-shinned Hawk is often mistaken for the slightly larger Cooper’s Hawk, as they do have many of the same characteristics. The hawks are blue-grey in colouring, with some reddish barring to be found on the under parts of the birds. The hawks are broad chested, with short rounded wings. Females as well as being larger will also be browner than the male.

The tails of the Sharp-shinned Hawk are long with a square tip. The tail will be grey or black, but will have a white terminal band. The crown and back of the neck of the birds are covered in darker feathers, which makes the Sharp-shinned Hawk appear that it has a hood.

Sharp-shinned Hawks also have thin, yellow legs, and a black, hooked bill. The bill is marked though with a yellow cere, the soft swelling found on the beak.

In flight the wing beats of the Sharp-shinned Hawk are erratic, although it only take a few to give them momentum, which is followed by a short glide.

Found throughout the United States and Canada, much of the Canadian population will fly south during the winter months. Normally the Sharp-shinned Hawk is to be found in the larger expanses of woodland, but can also often be found in urban surroundings.

Cooper's Hawk vs Sharp-Shinned - Louis Agassiz Fuertes (1874–1927) - PD-life-70

The Sharp-shinned Hawk primarily feeds upon small birds, found in the woodlands or more often observed off of garden bird tables. It is though not unknown for the hawks to eat small mammals and rodents.  Due to the size of the male and female Sharp-shinned Hawk, the females will go for the larger prey.

During the breeding season the Sharp-shinned Hawk will make their nests within the densest areas of the forest, where the female will lay between four and five eggs, and incubate for four weeks. In the early weeks the youngsters are reliant on their parents for food, but this also provides the display of the parents feeding their offspring in flight.

The bird is not under any direct threat at the moment, and with regulations in place around the use of pesticide

The Crane Hawk

The Crane Hawk, Geranospiza caerulescens, is perhaps not one of the most famous members of the hawk or harrier family, but has physical characteristics that set it apart from many other birds of prey.

Part of the Accipitridae family, the family of birds that includes the majority of birds of prey, the Crane Hawk is by no means the largest bird of prey, nor even the largest hawk but does have some distinguishing features. It is most commonly grey in colour, although the tail feathers are predominantly black. Across the tail though are two white bands, and the tip is also white. The Crane Hawk also has orange legs, unlike most other hawks or harriers.

Crane hawk (Geranospiza caerulescens) - CC-BY-SA-2.0

In flight, the Crane Hawk has the ability to glide silently, like most hawks, and needs only the occasional beat of its wings to remain airborne.

It is often a case of the rarer a bird the more well known it is. The publicity for endangered birds certainly ensures that for at least a short while they are talked about in the media. However, the Crane Hawk is a bird rated as being of Least Concern. There are no exact figures of how many Crane Hawks are currently to be found in the wild, although a conservative estimate does rate them as numbering in excess of 500,000. It is, however, almost universally recognised that numbers have decreased in recent years; this decrease being a result of their preferred habitat also declining in area.
Crane Hawks are widespread, and can be found in most countries in South and Central America, as well as Australia, and even a few examples have been seen in the United States.

Crane Hawk - jerryoldenettel - CC-BY-SA-2.0

South America in particular offers up many of the conditions in which Crane Hawks thrive. Although Crane Hawks can make their home just about anywhere, they do have preference for subtropical and tropical forests, as well as mangrove and swamp areas.

Crane Hawks will feed on just about any form of prey, and will eat snakes, lizards, frogs, spiders and the young of other birds. As such, the Crane Hawk is often competing with other predators for the same food source. Fortunately, the Crane Hawk has unusual legs, which enables it to climb and also enables it to dig around in crevices; this allows them to seek out prey that other birds cannot reach.
The Crane Hawk is one of the most sought after birds during any arranged bird-watching tour, and, although not especially rare, is like many hawks, a delight to see when in hunting mode.

The Spoonbill

The name Spoonbill is one given to six different birds within the Threskiornithidae family of birds. The waterbird is recognisable due to its bill, from where the bird gets its name.

Spoonbills are large birds, with long legs, legs which have evolved to allow them to wade through shallow water in search of food. Equally the bills of the Spoonbills have evolved to help them with this search as well. The bill is large, flat and reminiscent of a spoon. Colours for the bird and bill vary between types, although most are white with black bills.

Unlike many waterfowl and birds, the Spoonbills are normally solitary birds, rarely found in large flocks, nor will they accommodate other birds living close to them.

The African Spoonbill - Steve Roetz - CC-BY-2.0

There are as previously mentioned six different spoonbills, although they share many common features. There is the African Spoonbill, a large white bird, with pink face, and nests in African marshes. The Black-faced Spoonbill is an Asian variety, with its name representing its most distinguishing feature against a predominantly white body. The Eurasian Spoonbill is found across Europe and Asia, and even makes a presence in Africa. The Roseate Spoonbill is to be found in North, Central and South America, and is identifiable amongst the mangroves because of its bright pink colouring. Royal Spoonbills are found in Australasia and the Pacific Island, as is the Yellow-billed Spoonbill.

In the United Kingdom it is the Eurasian Spoonbill, Platalea Leucorodia, which can be seen, although only if you are lucky. There are only about fifty of the birds that can be seen in such places as the Exe Estuary reserves and East Anglia coastline.

The Eurasian Spoonbill - Andreas Trepte, www.photo-natur.de - CC-BY-SA-2.5

All Spoonbills tend to eat a similar diet, mainly consisting of small fish and aquatic insects. The bill has evolved to help with the feeding process. The bill being swept from side to side through the shallow water as the bird waded; any food that enters the bill cannot escape, as it shuts as soon as it is detected. It is not the most efficient form of feeding though, and Spoonbills do spend a high proportion of their day feeding.

Problems of gathering food do lead to some issues when it comes to breeding. Male and female Spoonbills mate for the season before separating, but during the season, the males will gather the material for the nest whilst the females make them. The nests are either low lying in amongst the reeds, or high up in trees.

On average the female will then lay three eggs, before each parent takes turns at incubating the eggs. The problems arise though on hatching, and a lack of food is the primary reason why the Spoonbill chicks fail to reach maturity.

The Spoonbills are relatively under threat and there are few places in the world where the unusual looking bird can be said to be common. Whenever people do get to see them though they are a bird that is hard to forget because of that great bill of theirs.