Hawk Watching in Central Florida - From Quipus, the Volunteer newsletter for the Central Florida Zoo, November, 2002

By Steve DeCresie, Bird Keeper

“I love birds!”  “I love bird-watching!”  --- I know many avid bird-lovers that wouldn’t know a “titmouse” if it hit them in the face.  Having affection for birds doesn’t immediately inspire you to bird watch.  But let me try and seduce you to the dark-side --- and get you watching our wild birds!

Many beginning bird watchers find it easier to get started if they can focus on a specific group of birds.  Hawks, and other birds-of-prey, are a great starting point --- well --- because they’re cool!  And they are BIG!  Except for a couple little ones, like the screech owl or the kestrel, most birds-of-prey are large enough to identify with the naked eye.  It is easy to quickly put them into a group (i.e. eagle, hawk, owl…).  Identifying the exact species is a bit tougher and often requires binoculars, but the choices are few, so it’s fairly easy. 

Red-shouldered hawks are common on zoo property.  Occasionally we see immature red-tailed hawks as well.  These two species are the most commonly seen throughout central Florida --- and the most commonly confused.  When you spot a hawk, try a look at its “field marks”.  Field marks are tools that bird-watchers remember to help identify a bird to species level.  With these two hawks, try and get a good look at the tail --- this is the best field mark for identifying the adult birds.  On the red-shouldered hawk the tail is marked with white and black bars.  The red-tailed hawk has a reddish tail with a single bar at the bottom.  There are other differences, but this is the best field mark for getting a quick identification.  Immature hawks look about the same and are more difficult to identify.  The other hawks you may observe in our area include broad-winged hawks, northern harriers, and Cooper’s hawks, all of which have their own field marks. 

Red-shouldered hawk           Red-tailed hawk

By the time you read this we will have moved our red-shoulder hawk to the exhibit next to the red-tailed hawk.  This will give you plenty of chances to compare the two side-by-side.  This red-shouldered hawk was found with a broken wind in Ocala National Forest in the spring of ’96.  Since then he has had cataract and laser surgery on his right eye.  Recently he was hit in the back by a wild hawk.  He is currently being exercised by docents and staff to strengthen his flight muscles.  The hawk will continue to be used for weekend demonstrations and we hope he will be flying without the use of the creance early next year.  We are recruiting docents to work with the hawk on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  This is one of the best red-shouldered hawks I have ever worked with and he is a great hawk for beginners that have not worked with birds-of-prey before.

The zoo is a great place to “hawk-watch”.  We see red-shouldered hawks and ospreys on a daily basis.  I encourage all of you to bird-watch.  It is a great activity that can be done anywhere and anytime.  Enjoy!

P.S. --- Make a bird keeper’s day --- bring binoculars when you’re in the zoo.  We have some amazing wild birds and we love to share what we have seen!

For More Information Contact:

The Nature Nerd Co.
P.O. Box 530881, DeBary FL 32753-0881
Tel: (386) 479-6427
Internet: info@naturenerd.com

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Last modified: November 30, 2004