Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) photo by Larry Jordan
The Swainson’s Hawk (Buteo swainsoni) is listed as threatened in California. Its numbers have declined significantly in parts of the western United States; and in the western Canadian prairie, reproduction of the Swainson’s Hawk has dropped since the mid-1980s, following a decline in its main prey species, Richardson’s ground squirrel. In 1995, satellite telemetry was used for the first time to investigate Swainson Hawk migration; these studies revealed that thousands of these hawks were dying in Argentina as a result of the use of pesticides.
Go read my latest West Coast Beat Writer post on Swainson’s Hawks in Plumas County over at 10000 Birds!
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