Swainson's Hawk
Buteo swainsoni
Also known as: Grasshopper Hawk, Swainson's Buzzard
About This Species
Scan open grassland, prairie and agricultural fields for this broad-winged hawk soaring on thermals or perched on fence posts and utility poles watching for rodents and large insects. It is most conspicuous during its long-distance migration, when thousands can gather in visible kettles over traditional flyways in spring and autumn. Breeding pairs favor scattered trees or windbreaks bordering open country, so scanning tree lines at field edges is productive in summer.
Ethical Viewing Guidelines
- View from a vehicle or at a distance with binoculars rather than approaching a perch or nest tree directly, since raptors are especially sensitive to disturbance while incubating or provisioning young.
- This species is protected under migratory bird and raptor protection laws across much of its range in the Americas, and nest disturbance can carry legal penalties.
- If a bird repeatedly flushes from the same perch as you move closer, back away and view from further off instead.
LCAvesAccipitriformesAccipitridae
Seasonal Activity
793,474 sightings · 2000–2026
Citizen science records via GBIF
All monthsThis month
Classification
- Kingdom
- Animalia
- Phylum
- Chordata
- Class
- Aves
- Order
- Accipitriformes
- Family
- Accipitridae
Photo
(c) Fred Hochstaedter, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA)
CC-BY-NC-SA-4.0
Occurrence data from GBIF.