Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni · Hawks, Eagles, and Kites
Banding codeSWHA
Keys to identifying it
1Size & shape
About 20 in long.
2Color pattern
- Dark chest bib below a white throat
- Two-toned underwing: pale linings, dark flight feathers
- Long, pointed wings
3Habitat & season
Farm fields, grasslands, open valleys in summer
In northern Utah: summer.
Seen most often in July and August.
Share of the region’s research-grade iNaturalist bird observations each month, scaled to this bird’s peak. Highlighted bars are its peak months.
4Voice
A high, thin, plaintive scream.
“a thin, whistled 'kreeeee'”
iNat 301366051 by Hannah K. Maielua · Lake County, OR, USA · CC BY
Know it
- Migrates to Argentina for the winter — one of the longest migrations of any North American raptor.
- Eats mostly grasshoppers outside the nesting season.
- Its underwing is pale in front with dark flight feathers — the reverse of most hawks.
- Migrates in huge flocks that circle on rising air.
Often confused with
Red-tailed Hawk
Northern Harrier
American Kestrel- Ferruginous Hawk
- Harris's Hawk
From iNaturalist identification data for northern Utah.
From Wikipedia
Swainson's hawk is a large bird species in the Accipitriformes order. This species was named after William Swainson, a British naturalist. It is colloquially known as the grasshopper hawk or locust hawk, as it is very fond of Acrididae and will voraciously eat these insects whenever they are available.
Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0