# Swainson's Hawk (*buteo swainsoni*) Swainson's Hawk is an elegant, medium-sized raptor of the Americas, renowned for its extraordinary long-distance migrations and its surprising dietary preferences. Often called the 'grasshopper hawk,' this bird of prey breeds in the open grasslands and agricultural fields of western North America during the summer, before embarking on an epic 10,000-kilometer journey to spend the winter in the pampas of Argentina. They are highly social raptors, frequently gathering in massive flocks numbering in the thousands during their migration corridor. While they hunt small mammals to feed their chicks during the nesting season, adult Swainson's Hawks outside of the breeding season feed almost exclusively on large insects like grasshoppers and dragonflies. This behavior makes them highly beneficial to farmers, as they provide natural pest control. Watching a flock of these graceful hawks follow a tractor in a freshly plowed field is a spectacular sight for nature lovers. - **Category:** [Birds](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/bird) - **Rarity:** Common - **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low - **Snaps:** 3 - **Habitat:** Typically found in wide-open country, including native grasslands, prairies, pastures, and agricultural fields of western North America. ![Swainson's Hawk](https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/213208697/medium.jpg) Photo: Jonathan Eisen, CC BY 4.0 · [iNaturalist](https://www.inaturalist.org/photos/213208697) ## Appearance Swainson's Hawk is characterized by its long, narrow, pointed wings and a relatively short tail. It features a highly distinctive 'bib'—a dark brown band across the breast that contrasts sharply with its white throat and pale belly. Most individuals are light-morph, showing a dark brown back, a rufous-to-brown chest bib, and underwings that have light coverts contrasting with dark flight feathers. When soaring, they hold their wings in a slight dihedral V-shape, similar to a turkey vulture. ## Taxonomy - **Kingdom:** Animalia - **Phylum:** Chordata - **Class:** Aves - **Order:** Accipitriformes - **Family:** Accipitridae - **Genus:** Buteo ## Interesting facts - A single flock of migrating Swainson's Hawks, known as a 'kettle', can contain tens of thousands of individual birds filling the sky. - Because they consume massive quantities of agricultural pests, they are highly welcomed by farmers and are often referred to as 'locust hawks'. - During their winter stay in Argentina, they live almost entirely in agricultural fields, feeding alongside agricultural machinery to catch flushed insects. ## Special abilities - **Ultra-Distance Migration:** Undertakes one of the longest migrations of any North American raptor, traveling over 10,000 kilometers each way between northern breeding grounds and South American wintering pampas. - **Thermal Soaring:** Saves energy during long flights by riding columns of rising warm air, allowing it to glide for hours with minimal flapping. - **Insectivorous Foraging:** Possesses remarkable agility on the ground, allowing it to easily walk, run, and hop to capture grasshoppers and other large insects. ## Measurements & details - **Length:** 43+ cm - **Wingspan:** 117+ cm - **Weight:** 0.5+ kg - **Lifespan:** 10+ years - **Speed:** 60 km/h - **Clutch Size:** 1+ - **Incubation:** 28+ days - **Migration Distance:** 12000 km ## Diet & Feeding Feeds heavily on small mammals like voles and pocket gophers during the nesting season, but transitions to an almost exclusively insectivorous diet of grasshoppers and crickets during the rest of the year. - **Age differences:** Chicks are fed a high-protein diet consisting primarily of rodents and reptiles, whereas adults during non-breeding periods rely almost entirely on large insects. - **Primary Foods:** Grasshoppers, Voles, Pocket gophers, Crickets, Dragonflies, Deer mice - **Foraging Method:** Pursuit ## Ecological connections - **Hunts:** [Thirteen-lined Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/thirteen-lined-ground-squirrel) (*Ictidomys tridecemlineatus*) — Preys heavily on this rodent during the breeding season to feed its nestlings. - **Hunts:** [Differential Grasshopper](https://www.snappit.app/explore/differential-grasshopper) (*Melanoplus differentialis*) — Consumes vast quantities of this insect pest in agricultural fields and grasslands. - **Competitor:** [Red-tailed Hawk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/red-tailed-hawk) (*Buteo jamaicensis*) — Competes for nesting sites and territory in open woodlands and grassland edges. ## Safety **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low No special safety notes yet. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### How to identify Swainson's Hawk? Compare the silhouette, bill shape, tail length, wing bars and markings around the eyes. The same small brown bird at your feeder can look quite different in breeding plumage, winter plumage or its first year. Bird Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details. ### How long is Swainson's Hawk? 43+ cm ### What is Swainson's Hawk's wingspan? 117+ cm ### How much does Swainson's Hawk weigh? 0.5+ kg ### How long does Swainson's Hawk live? 10+ years ### How fast can Swainson's Hawk move? 60 km/h ### What does Swainson's Hawk eat? Feeds heavily on small mammals like voles and pocket gophers during the nesting season, but transitions to an almost exclusively insectivorous diet of grasshoppers and crickets during the rest of the year. ### Where is Swainson's Hawk usually found? Typically found in wide-open country, including native grasslands, prairies, pastures, and agricultural fields of western North America. ## Where to spot - [P Ranch](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/p-ranch) — Oregon, US · Historic Site - [Toadstool Geologic Park](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/toadstool-geologic-park) — Nebraska, US · Nature Reserve - [Metropolitan Park Bathhouse and Pool Historic District](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/metropolitan-park-bathhouse-and-pool-historic-district) — New Mexico, US · Historic District - [Cascades Raptor Center](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/cascades-raptor-center) — Oregon, US · Zoo - [Hooker County Courthouse](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/hooker-county-courthouse) — Nebraska, US · Historic Site - [JA Ranch](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/ja-ranch) — Texas, US · Historic Site [View all places to see Swainson's Hawk](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/swainsons-hawk) ## More Birds - [Black-crowned Night Heron](https://www.snappit.app/explore/black-crowned-night-heron) (*Nycticorax nycticorax*) - [Anna's Hummingbird](https://www.snappit.app/explore/annas-hummingbird) (*Calypte anna*) - [Great Egret](https://www.snappit.app/explore/great-egret) (*Ardea alba*) - [Blue Jay](https://www.snappit.app/explore/blue-jay) (*Cyanocitta cristata*) --- Source: [Swainson's Hawk: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/swainsons-hawk)